Senepol cattle at Castle Nugent Farms, St. Croix USVI

(If you are a rancher looking for Caroline Gasperi's website on Castle Nugent Senepol, click here!)

The big, gentle red cows you will see dotting the hills and wandering up by the fences around Longford Hideaway vacation cottage are our Castle Nugent Senepol cattle.

Estate Longford is part of Castle Nugent, one of the top genetic breeding farms for Senepol in the world. Senepol are beef cattle (no, we don't milk them!) and while the beef produced here at Longford/Castle Nugent is sold locally, the purpose of the ranch is to raise these animals for export to other farms around the world. (Yes, they fly on airplanes!)

A prize Castle Nugent cow with her young.

Our cows spend most of their lives in the wild, giving birth in the wild, and eat only the grasses and plants that grow in our pastures. They are not tame animals, but they are used to seeing people and they are curious. Some of our bulls have been given nicknames, like "Chunky" and "Bruno." Some of the more famous bulls have included "Longford", "Blondie", and "Beach Boy".

6616 and some young friends inspect the
camera and photographer.

The Senepol breed, established on St. Croix in the early part of this century, was registered and introduced to the U.S. in the 70s, and in recent years has become one of the most sought after beef cattle in the ranching industry, particularly in Tropical and Sub-Tropical regions where heat tolerance is crucial.

Known for its tender and low fat content meat, and an easily worked, amiable personality, the hornless red Senepol breed is the result of a cross between African N'Dama and English Red Poll cattle. The Red Poll has given the breed its tolerant disposition, lack of horns and bright red color while the N'Dama allows it to thrive in tropical, semi-arid environments.

Cattledog Winnie stays low
working a young bull.

Castle Nugent Farms has been breeding Senepol since 1962 on our ranch on St. Croix, the largest of the US Virgin Islands, a territory of the U.S. At Castle Nugent, genetics and free range have kept the breed's qualities at their highest level through the years. Selection and improvement are a constant active goal on our ranch on the East end of St. Croix, (where climatic conditions are harsher than on the West end of the island) to always reach for the top in fertility, performance and conformation.

Much of the beef produced here at Castle Nugent is sold locally. Popularity of Senepol beef continues to rise as health conciousness does; more people are demanding grass-fed, hormone-free low-fat beef that is naturally rich in flavor and nutrients.

Traffic stops in front of Longford, as a herd of Castle Nugent cows with young calves crosses South Shore Road.

Exportation of Senepol from Castle Nugent Farms for breeding purposes has been steady during the past 10 years. (Embryos and semen are also exported.) Castle Nugent Farms is considered a Genetic Bank for the Senepol breed. Live animal shipments have been consistently intense in recent years to all the Sun Belt States (Florida through Texas) and Australia, with the result that CN brand is quite common on many ranches with Senepol cattle.

For more information about Senepol cattle or to request a brochure, call or send address to:

Enrico Gasperi, Manager
Castle Nugent Farms
Ph/Fax (340) 773-2386
POB 895 Christiansted St.Croix VI 00821-0895

...or visit Castle Nugent's website!