Huntersvlei Sussex achieved a record average of R95 000 per stud bull at its 2026 auction near Viljoenskroon, highlighting the success of its 15-year polled breeding programme and strong confidence in the breed.
By Vida Booysen, senior journalist at African Farming and Landbouweekblad
The success of a 15-year programme to breed polled Sussex bulls was clearly evident at Huntersvlei Sussex’s 2026 auction near Viljoenskroon, where the average price of R95 000 per bull was the highest ever recorded in the history of the 81-year-old herd.
That this achievement was reached in a year where the rapid spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) plunged the local livestock industry into great uncertainty is further proof that the herd’s established bloodlines have stood the test of time and earned the trust of breeders.
Claire Evans-Anderson, managing director of the Huntersvlei Group, expressed her gratitude to the Sussex community and commercial farmers for their support during a very difficult year.
“I am very grateful and also a little relieved to welcome you all to our auction today. One auction after another had to be cancelled nationwide over the past year due to FMD. We have great admiration for the resilience of South African farmers who have had to face this crisis.”
Evans-Anderson referred to the establishment of the herd in 1945 by her grandfather, John Rhys Evans, who chose the Sussex for its “indomitable spirit” after the Second World War.
“That spirit was tested again this past season, but there is currently a cautious optimism in our farming community.”
Enrico Cronjé, manager of the Huntersvlei Sussex stud herd, said the good prices were partly due to the success of the polled breeding programme.
“We have been working on our polled programme for 15 years now, and I think our polled breeding stock is now at the point where we are really reaching the quality of our historical horned breeding stock,” he said, adding that Huntersvlei always offers both polled and horned bulls of the same quality.
The bull that fetched the highest price of R210 000 was Huntersvlei Major 4th PcPC (JRE34-38), a homozygous polled bull from Huntersvlei’s best polled sire line, with the sought-after Kimberley bloodline. The buyers were well-known Sussex breeders Carl and Niël Durow of the Durow Stud at Clocolan.
“This is a powerful bull with an exceptional dam. He has a broad build, is deep and wide, is tall, and can form the cornerstone of any polled breeding programme,” said Cronjé. “I am grateful that he is going to the Durows, because he will certainly make an impact on the future of the Sussex breed.”
According to Cronjé, the confidence of breeders and buyers in the Sussex breed is also driving the good prices.
“They realise that breeding heavy weaners and the uniform colour are characteristics that feedlots want, and that feedlots are prepared to pay these prices for them, as was the case in recent weaner auctions.”
What distinguishes the Sussex from other breeds is its purity, Cronjé explained.
“The Sussex has been kept as a pure breed in South Africa for the past 125 years, and that has led to fixed inheritance. We see this in the uniform colour and the hybrid vigour when it is crossed with indigenous Bos indicus breeds. These factors make a huge difference, and I am not even talking about the breed’s excellent temperament, good milk production and conformation.”
Cronjé said their district in the Free State was probably the hardest hit by FMD. The herd was isolated as much as possible, but “it was a grace from above” that they were able to get through the crisis.
“Another grace was that our animals here in the district did not get as sick as the animals on dairy farms in KwaZulu-Natal. Often there were only one or two animals in a herd that showed symptoms, and farmers were able to pull them through.”
He gave credit to the Free State Department of Veterinary Services for acting swiftly and getting vaccines to farmers quickly when they became available.
The auction results were as follows:
Stud bulls: highest price R210 000; average price R95 000.
Commercial cow-and-calf combination: highest price R27 500; average price R27 500.
Pregnant heifer combination: highest price R23 000; average price R21 333.
The Huntersvlei auction was held on 29 July at the Huntersvlei farm in the Viljoenskroon district. Vleissentraal Bloemfontein conducted the auction, with Allan Sinclair as the auctioneer. SwiftVEE provided the online platform.
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