When the hammer fell at R370 000 for his Simbra bull Richter Prairie (JHR 16 341), cattle farmer Chris Richter achieved a new national record.
This is the highest price paid for a Simbra bull sold via auction in South Africa to date. Added to this, it happened during an online auction and was the first time Richter was using the virtual platform.
Richter operates his stud and commercial cattle operation from the farm Leeukop in the Bloemfontein district in the Free State. He is supported by his wife Martlie as he continues to build on the legacy left by his father Jan and grandfather Chris.
“I am the fifth generation on this farm and my father and grandfather both spent years developing the cattle in their Simmentaler and Brahman studs.
“They then combined these in 1998 to register Richter Simbras.”
The foundation cattle for the Simbra stud came from well-established Simmentaler and Brahman stud lines with the primary focus to select for hardy, profitable beef cattle, combining the best of both breeds.
The stud hosted its first production sale in 2005, around the time Richter matriculated and left for Stellenbosch University to complete a bachelor’s degree in finance.
Tragedy struck in 2007, however, when Richter’s father lost his battle to cancer, passing away just weeks before the stud would host its third production sale. It fell to Richter to ensure everything went ahead.
This story is from the September 11, 2020 edition of Farmer's Weekly.
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This story is from the September 11, 2020 edition of Farmer's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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