Blackpool Senepol stud reaches new heights

In 2024, Blackpool Senepol sold a bull for a new South African record price of R165 000. Owner Chris Sheard spoke to Mike Burgess about how he built a stud capable of producing one of the best Senepol bulls the country has ever seen.

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The Senepol has been a revelation; it ticks all the boxes for our area, as it is farmed extensively on the veld and receives no extra feed,” says Chris Sheard, who registered his Blackpool Senepol stud in 2012.

Today, Sheard runs 300 registered Senepol cows on 2 500ha, including the historic family farm, Blackpool, and two adjoining properties. He says the breed has outclassed several other breeds he has farmed in years gone by. “I wish I came across the [Senepol] breed much earlier,” he adds. “The discovery, I think, came a little late in my life.”

PRODUCING TOP SENEPOL GENETICS

The Blackpool Senepol herd was launched from 63 carefully selected females – 58 of which had heifer calves at foot – and two bulls sourced from several studs across the country, including Vlotvlei Senepols in Brandfort, Nooitgedacht Senepol in Bloemhof, Vetkragga Boerdery in Riversdale, Calcrete Senepol in Vryburg, and the Kalahari Cattle Co in Vergeleë.

Over the years, Sheard would introduce more genetics and today, the Blackpool Senepol herd is one of the largest in South Africa, a crucial factor when breeding and selecting bulls.

“With 150 bull calves to choose from, you're casting a wide [genetic] net,” he says. “We cull them down to 25, of which 20 are sold at sales, with the balance sold directly from the farm.”

The quality of Sheard’s 2024 sale bulls was not only illustrated by the South African record price of R165 000 he achieved for one of them at the Senepol National Auction in Excelsior, Free State, but also by the impressive R72 000 average for the 18 bulls marketed at the Eastern Cape Multibreed Annual Production Sale in Cathcart, and the two bulls marketed at the previously mentioned auction in Excelsior.