Ashgrove Coopworth rams sold well to a top price of $2800 in the last ram sale in Northland before moving to Taumarunui and future annual sales planned for Frankton.
After 40 years of development by founder David Hartles, Maungaturoto, the Coopworths were sold to James and Janine Parsons, Tangowahine, 10 years ago.
Now they will be on the move again in January to Alan and Kerri Blake at Triple Farms Sheep Genetics in King Country, who already have a Coopdale stud.
The Blakes have a multi-farm 730ha effective sheep and beef breeding business and the newly acquired Ashgrove Coopworth and Suftex sheep will be run on 300ha steep hill country at Ōngarue.
The vendor of the sheep is Hard Hill Country Genetics, a partnership of the extended Parsons family and their farm manager Travis Pimm, originally from California.
“Northland’s declining sheep numbers and southern ram clients’ waning desire to run the gauntlet through Auckland have been factors in our decision to sell,” James Parsons said.
“The Blake family will build off a solid genetic base to develop further and better serve your needs.
“They have a similar philosophy to that of Ashgrove, where all animals have to perform under strict commercial conditions.
“Here at Tangowahine, we will concentrate on the Matauri Angus cattle and essentially simplify things, with fewer livestock classes, but we will have more ewes, not less.”
In the Coopworths there were 26 rams sold for an average of $2050 and in the Suftex 13 were sold for an average of $1550 with a top of $2300 twice.
Ashgrove is a founding flock of the FEGold accreditation for facial eczema resistance.
