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Cattle Breeders and Breed Pioneers

Reginaldo Booth and the Hereford Stud of Los Cerros de San Juan

A Yorkshire-born estancia manager who became the owner of one of Uruguay's winningest Hereford studs.

Who was Reginaldo Booth?

Reginaldo Booth was born in Catterick, Yorkshire, into a traditional British livestock-breeding family. In 1903 he arrived at Los Cerros de San Juan in the Colonia department of Uruguay, beginning an association with the estancia that lasted about 50 years. The details here come from a La Manana profile of Uruguayan Hereford breeders.

He died at about 80 years old at Los Cerros de San Juan on 28 December 1954.

From administrator to owner of Los Cerros de San Juan

Booth first worked as administrator for the Lahusen family, who owned the estancia. About three years after he arrived he married Lucy Lahusen, the owner's daughter. In 1940 the couple became owners of the estancia, its installations and much of its livestock.

That path, from hired manager to owner, is common in the history of Rio de la Plata ranching, where British and European managers often married into established landed families.

What did the estancia produce?

Los Cerros de San Juan was not a single-purpose cattle operation. It ran agriculture, viticulture, forestry, extractive industries and livestock. The cabana focused on Hereford and Shorthorn cattle, the two British beef breeds that dominated the Uruguayan stud trade in those years.

Booth imported English breeding stock on a large scale, selecting animals from leading British cabanas. That connection to British herds gave his stud a pipeline of fresh bloodlines.

How many Prado and Palermo titles did Booth win?

The profile says that from 1921 to 1959 Los Cerros de San Juan won 11 Grand Champion Male Hereford titles at the Prado, Uruguay's national livestock show run by the Asociacion Rural del Uruguay. Because Booth died in 1954, the 1959 end date probably covers the stud's record after his death, and the source itself is inconsistent on this point.

In 1928 the cabana was reportedly the first to win the top Hereford honors at both Palermo in Argentina and the Prado with the same bull, San Juan Banker 2. It repeated that feat in 1946 with San Juan's Quoit 28, which also took Reserve Grand Champion Male at Palermo that year. The stud then won Grand Champion of the breed at the Prado three years running, from 1950 to 1952.

The Key to Booth's Success

Booth's results came from blending British genetics with an operation diversified enough to survive hard years on the land. He did not rely on cattle alone.

The documented pattern is straightforward.

  • He imported breeding stock from leading British cabanas at scale, keeping the stud connected to the breed's source herds.
  • He ran a diversified estancia with agriculture, viticulture and forestry, so cattle income was not the only support.
  • He competed in both Uruguay and Argentina, winning at the Prado and Palermo with the same bulls in 1928 and 1946.
  • He stayed with one place for about 50 years, which allowed long-term selection.
  • He worked within the Asociacion Rural del Uruguay and competed against peers such as Jose Maria Elorza, which raised standards across the Hereford ring.

Booth and the rivalry with El Cardo

Booth often competed with Jose Maria Elorza Sagardia of El Cardo at the Prado, where El Cardo's bull Royal Puelche Benjamin 2 won three straight Grand Champion Hereford titles, as an article on the El Cardo stud describes. The same La Manana profile says the two treated each other with respect after judging. Their studs set the benchmark for Uruguayan Hereford quality in the first half of the twentieth century.

More cattle history from the region appears on the ranching section of farm.FM, and a farm.FM story on Hereford cattle covers the breed at greater length.

Timeline

  1. 1903Arrives at Los Cerros de San Juan in Colonia
  2. c. 1906Marries Lucy Lahusen, the owner's daughter
  3. 1921Start of the stud's Prado Grand Champion Male record
  4. 1928First cabana to win top Hereford honors at Palermo and the Prado with one bull
  5. 1940Booth and his wife become owners of the estancia
  6. 1946Repeats the double with San Juan's Quoit 28
  7. 1950-1952Three straight Grand Champion of the breed titles at the Prado
  8. 1954Dies at Los Cerros de San Juan on 28 December

Frequently asked questions

Who was Reginaldo Booth?

He was an English-born breeder from Catterick, Yorkshire, who arrived in Uruguay in 1903 and built Los Cerros de San Juan in Colonia into a leading Hereford and Shorthorn stud.

How many Prado titles did Los Cerros de San Juan win?

A La Manana profile reports 11 Grand Champion Male Hereford titles at the Prado between 1921 and 1959, though Booth himself died in 1954.

What was San Juan Banker 2?

San Juan Banker 2 was the bull that in 1928 made Los Cerros de San Juan the first cabana to win the top Hereford honors at both Palermo and the Prado.

What breeds did Booth raise?

The cabana focused on Hereford and Shorthorn cattle, and the estancia also ran agriculture, viticulture, forestry and other industries.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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