Stephan Nel and his son, Stephan junior, of the Bergplaas Merino stud once again ensured that buyers could walk away with excellent animals at their annual production auction, held on 20 January on the family farm Prospect, near Barkly East.

Gavin Isted

The excellent breeding material built up over the years attracted many buyers. Ermelo farmer Wilhelm Ziervogel acquired the two most expensive rams at R35 000 and R24 000 respectively.

Bergplaas Merinos was founded in 1936 by Frikkie Nel on the farm Prospect near Barkly-Oos in the Eastern Cape. The stud is situated in the mountainous north-eastern part of the province, a region known for its cool climate and excellent natural grazing. Frikkie initially registered about 200 Merino ewes and further strengthened the genetic base by purchasing rams from reputable breeders in the Karoo districts, such as Middelburg, Eastern Cape and Graaff-Reinet. In 1975, he attracted wide attention when he paid R8 000 for a stud ram at the national Merino Ram Auction – at the time one of the highest prices ever paid and a clear indication of the stud’s breeding ambition.

In 1982, Frikkie’s son, Dawie Nel, took over the management of the stud and deliberately adjusted the breeding direction towards dual-purpose Merinos with good wool and meat production to cope with fluctuating wool markets. Dawie’s son, Stephan Nel, began applying modern breeding practices after returning to the farm in the late 1980s and officially took over the reins of the stud around 2000. Today, he still manages Bergplaas Merinos with his son, Stephan junior.

The stud holds annual production auctions, where quality rams and ewes attract strong interest from stud and commercial breeders and regularly achieve significant prices.

This year’s auction was hosted by BKB Cradock. The auctioneer was Jovaan Cloete. For more information on the company, visit BKB

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