St. Croix is the largest of the three U.S. Virgin Islands (“America’s Paradise”), located approximately 90 miles southeast of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Sea. Our relationship and proximity to the mainland U.S.A. makes St. Croix easy to access for travel and trade, while retaining a lot of Caribbean flavor in our food and culture.

St. Croix is an hour’s flight from Miami; 40 minutes from San Juan, Puerto Rico; or 15 minutes by seaplane from St. Thomas.

POLITICAL: A United States territory, English is the official and most prevalent language on St. Croix, and we use U.S. currency, U.S. Mail, and major U.S. banks. The capital of the U. S. Virgin Islands is in St. Thomas, and we have representatives in U. S. Congress in Washington D.C.

In addition to old Danish families and U.S. mainlanders, many residents of St. Croix come from neighboring Caribbean islands, and we have a broad mix of American, Latin, Crucian, “down island” and Danish cultures.

St. Croix’s population is around 50,000; over [4,000] of those island residents work for Hovensa, the large oil refinery plant on St. Croix.

GEOGRAPHY: Our island is just 28 miles long and 7 miles wide at her widest point. Cut in half by a range of high hills that divide its rainfall, St. Croix has everything from desert flower cacti in the east, to lush rainforests in the west. Point Udall, on the east end of St. Croix, is the easternmost point in the U. S. A small uninhabited island off the north coast of St. Croix as well as a series of smaller land masses called “cays” are protected federal wildlife areas and offer excellent reef diving and snorkelling. There are also beautiful hikes in the hills for nature lovers, and barrier reefs around the island for kayakers, snorkellers and fishermen to enjoy.

WEATHER: St. Croix enjoys consistently sunny, warm weather throughout the year with a median temperature of 82 degrees; infrequent rainshowers or overcast days are a brief but pleasant treat for the locals. Constant trade winds from the south east keep things cooler but more arid at Castle Nugent Farms, where we receive an average annual rainfall of 30 inches. In contrast, the west end of St. Croix receives up to 70 inches of rain per year.

Hurricane season lasts from June through November. St. Croix has often suffered damage from severe tropical storms and hurricanes, including Hurricane Hugo in 1989, perhaps the most costly and devastating since 1917.

INFRASTRUCTURE: St. Croix is not heavily developed. Much of the land on the island is zoned for agricultural use or nature preserves. About 90% of the roads are paved, and there is one four-lane highway that runs east - west on the island.

Shipping options for trade are varied due to the St. Croix’s airport which accommodates all sizes of aircraft, and her deep ports for international tankers, container ships, large ferries and other cargo vessels.

ATTRACTIONS: St. Croix offers:

• beautiful beaches
• historical points of interest
• duty-free port shopping
• guided ecology hikes
• Buck Island National Park Monument
• great snorkeling and SCUBA diving
• reef flyfishing
• deepwater sport fishing
• sailing
• golf and tennis
• horseback riding
• fine dining
• after dinner entertainment

Castle Nugent Farms is located on St. Croix’s south shore toward the east end of the island, and our beach is a local favorite spot for permit and reef fishing. The south shore boasts long stretches of beautiful hills, historic ruins from sugar plantation days, and many scenic bluffs and bays, overlooking the Caribbean Sea.

King of the hill: A young Castle Nugent Senepol bull grazes on a hill overlooking a broad expanse of Castle Nugent pastures and the south shore of St. Croix, the island where his breed originated.

Castle Nugent Farms has been breeding Senepol since 1957 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.

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

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