Senepol
Encyclopedia
The Senepol breed of beef cattle
were developed on the Caribbean Island of St. Croix from N'Dama
cattle, imported in the late 19th century, by crossing with Red Poll
cattle. The Senepol breed combines the N'Dama characteristics of heat tolerance and insect resistance with the docile nature, good meat, and high milk production of the Red Poll. They are polled, short haired, and colored red, black or brown.
in the 19th century, being better suited to the climatic conditions than European breeds. One of the largest herds of over 250 head was owned by Henry C. Nelthropp at the Granard Estates. In 1918 Henry's son Bromley bought a Redpoll bull from Trinadad to improve the cows' milking ability and remove their long horns. More Redpoll bulls were used in the following years and the cattle were selected for solid red color, natural polling and heat tolerance. These offspring were dispersed to four main herds on the island. The name Senepol was adopted in 1954 and a breed registry was established in the late 1960s. Aided by the United States Department of Agriculture
the College of the Virgin Islands Extension Service began on farm performance testing in 1976. In 1977 22 cows were taken to the United States and the breed has since spread across the southern states. There are now more than 500 breeders with more than 14,000 registered cattle. They are also found in Australia, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Venezuela, Mexico, Philippines, Zimbabwe and Brazil.
Beef cattle
Beef cattle are cattle raised for meat production . The meat of cattle is known as beef. When raised in a feedlot cattle are known as feeder cattle. Many such feeder cattle are born in cow-calf operations specifically designed to produce beef calves...
were developed on the Caribbean Island of St. Croix from N'Dama
N'Dama
N'Dama are a breed of cattle from West Africa, of the Bos taurus-type. Other names for them include Boenca or Boyenca , Fouta Jallon, Fouta Longhorn, Fouta Malinke, Futa, Malinke, Mandingo , N'Dama Petite...
cattle, imported in the late 19th century, by crossing with Red Poll
Red Poll
The Red Poll is a dual purpose breed of cattle developed in England in the latter half of the 19th century.-Description and uses:The cattle are red, preferably deep red with white only on the tail switch and udder. They are naturally polled...
cattle. The Senepol breed combines the N'Dama characteristics of heat tolerance and insect resistance with the docile nature, good meat, and high milk production of the Red Poll. They are polled, short haired, and colored red, black or brown.
Breed history
N'Dama cattle were imported to St. Croix from SenegalSenegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
in the 19th century, being better suited to the climatic conditions than European breeds. One of the largest herds of over 250 head was owned by Henry C. Nelthropp at the Granard Estates. In 1918 Henry's son Bromley bought a Redpoll bull from Trinadad to improve the cows' milking ability and remove their long horns. More Redpoll bulls were used in the following years and the cattle were selected for solid red color, natural polling and heat tolerance. These offspring were dispersed to four main herds on the island. The name Senepol was adopted in 1954 and a breed registry was established in the late 1960s. Aided by the United States Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
the College of the Virgin Islands Extension Service began on farm performance testing in 1976. In 1977 22 cows were taken to the United States and the breed has since spread across the southern states. There are now more than 500 breeders with more than 14,000 registered cattle. They are also found in Australia, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Venezuela, Mexico, Philippines, Zimbabwe and Brazil.