Our Story
The name Triple Farms comes from Alan's grandfather, father and uncle — Alan, Jim and Tom — who farmed together in the King Country from the early 1970s through to 2018. The name carries real weight for Alan and Kerri, and they're proud to be carrying it on.
Today, Triple Farms is a family-owned and operated farm run by Alan and Kerri Blake, 20 minutes north of Taumarunui. They own 730 hectares split across two properties: 270 hectares of steep hill country at Ongarue, where the stud is based, and 450 hectares of rolling hill country at Waimiha, run as a breeding and finishing block for commercial stock only. Across both properties they run 3,000 breeding Suftex and Coopworth ewes and replacement hoggets, alongside 250 breeding cows and replacements. All lambs are finished on-farm, along with the majority of steers, while non-replacement heifers are sold forward store or finished depending on the season.
Alan and Kerri started a Coopdale stud in 2022, after struggling to find genetics that suited their own commercial system and breeding goals — and it was through building that stud that they found their passion for stud breeding. In late 2023, they took over the Coopworth and Suftex flocks from Ashgrove Genetics, previously run by the Parsons family and Travis Pymm in Kaipara, Northland. Ashgrove Genetics held its final on-farm ram sale on 10 November 2023, and the stud moved to Alan and Kerri's Ongarue property in January 2024.
Alan and Kerri have two sons, Archie and Finn.
Alan holds a Diploma in Farm Management from Lincoln University and has worked on farms throughout New Zealand and overseas. Born and raised a farmer, he places honesty, integrity and serious commitment at the centre of providing a quality sheep genetics package for the modern-day farmer.
Kerri holds a BSc majoring in Agricultural Science, a Graduate Diploma in Oenology, and a Diploma in Horticulture. She was born and raised on a sheep and beef farm in the Wairarapa, where her father also ran a South Devon cattle stud, and moved to Taumarunui after four years in the Hawke's Bay wine industry.
Breeding Philosophy
At Triple Farms, we believe a stud needs to perform under strict commercial conditions,not just look good on paper. Our stud flock is run alongside our commercial ewes from weaning through to mating, and anything that can't perform is culled, regardless of figures or breeding. Low input traits and structural soundness sit at the centre of everything we select for, and we're committed to producing low input, high output sheep that hold up under pressure.
Three studs are run at Triple Farms: Coopdale, established in 2022 by Alan and Kerri; and Coopworth and Suftex, purchased in 2023 from Ashgrove Genetics, previously run by the Parsons family and Travis Pymm.
