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Increase profits, select the right Limousin bull at Elphin sale

The first Irish Limousin Cattle Society bull sale of 2021 takes place on Saturday, March 13th, at Elphin Mart with 92 bulls catalogued.

You can view the catalogue here. Prospective buyers will be able to view bulls at the mart on the morning of the sale by prior appointment from 9.00 am to 12 pm.

To book your viewing spot with Elphin Mart, phone: (071) 9635061. The sale will be conducted adhering to Covid-19 guidelines.

You can view videos of the entries through the society’s Facebook page.

Limousin, number 1 cross on all main breeds

This is the Limousin Society’s newest statistic and clearly shows that Limousin is the number 1 cross on all the main breeds. 56% of calves born to Limousin dams were Limousin-sired.

Breed % females that had a Limousin sired calf
Belgian Blue 45%
Blonde D’Aquitaine 34%
Hereford 32%
Simmental 31%
Charolais 28%
Angus 28%
Aubrac 19%

The bulls at Elphin are from 46 different sires, so you have a great opportunity to source terminal, replacement, easy calving, or short gestation bulls, whatever suits your cows.

Sourcing a top-class terminal bull

59 bulls catalogued have a 5-star terminal index, 31 of those bulls also have a 5-star replacement index. 81 of the bulls catalogued have a 5-star index for carcass weight.

The following table highlights Limousin is the number 1 beef sire across both beef and dairy cows.

Breed % calves registered to beef sires

LM

26.24%

AA 25.92%
CH 19.75%
HE 16.97%
SI 4.72%
BB 2.64%
SA 1.12%
SH 1.06%
AU 1.04%
BA 0.52%
Sourcing a top-class maternal bull

36 of the bulls catalogued have a 5-star maternal index; of these, 31 bulls also have a 5-star terminal index.

Limousin is the number 1 suckler dam; 35% (or over a third) of all suckler cows in Ireland are Limousin. The next highest breed is over 15%, behind Limousin.

Breed of dam No of calves registered % of calves registered

LM

298,901

34.66%

CH 168,188 19.51%
AA 117,617 13.64%
SI 89,953 10.43%
HE 86,237 10.00%
BB 38,063 4.41%
SH 30,224 3.51%
SA 19,897 2.31%
BA 7,375 0.86%
AU 5,807 0.67%

 

Docility

50 of the bulls catalogued have a 5-star docility Index. The focus on breeding docile Limousin cattle over the last 30 years has changed the breed’s reputation for all to see.

Calving ease

One of the main reasons Limousin is the number 1 breed in Ireland is calving ease.

With such a high percentage of farmers having off-farm jobs, the calving ease figure is one of the first questions farmers ask when purchasing a bull.

There are many bulls with extremely predicted easy calving catalogued.

3 of the bulls have a predicted calving ease of less than 2%. This is extremely low and would be perfect for suckler or dairy.

A further 17 bulls have a predicted calving ease figure of less than 3%, so again very suitable for suckler or dairy.

A further 21 have a predicted calving ease figure of less than 3.7%, which is below the breed average.

Gestation

With the huge growth in Limousin bulls being used in the dairy herd driven by the phenomenal prices Limousin suck calves are making, as well as the better kill-out of dairy-cross-Limousin compared to other breeds, easy calving and in particular, the reducing gestation length are contributing to this trend.

4 of the bulls catalogued have a predicted gestation PTA score of less than 2 days; a further 7 bulls have a predicted gestation PTA score of < 3 days. These gestation lengths are comparable with the traditional breeds.

Limousin is far and away, the continental breed of choice for the dairy farmer.

Total % of Continental-sired calves out of the dairy herd
Breed % sired calves X dairy

LM

48.24%

BB 16.34%
SI 15.60%
CH 11.04%
AU 5.42%
SA 2.60%
BA 0.76%

 

Dairy farming, Limousin

Price ranges and sires

Farmers sometimes read about the top prices at the Limousin premier sales and may feel these bulls are outside their price range.

However, there are always a percentage of bulls that make between €2,100 and €2,500 and are considered bargains.

Following is a list of the sires followed by the number of their offspring that will be in Elphin:

  • Plumtree Fantastic (8)
  • Derrygullinane Kingbull (6);
  • Lodge Hamlet (6);
  • Bavardage (5);
  • Telfers Munster (5);
  • Ampertaine Elgin (4);
  • Ampertaine Gigolo (4);
  • Ampertaine Magnum (3);
  • Elderberry Galahad (3);
  • Grangeford Jojo Et (3);
  • Mereside Godolphin (3);
  • Ashbrook Johnny B Good (2);
  • Ewdenvale Ivor (2);
  • Ionesco (2);
  • Keltic Handsome (2);
  • On-Dit (2);
  • Ronick Hawk (2);
  • Whinfellpark Lomu (2),

There will be one bull by each of the following sires:

  • Ampertaine Commander;
  • Ampertaine Foreman;
  • Ampertaine Inferno;
  • Ampertaine Majestic;
  • Beaghmore Island;
  • Casimir 65;
  • Castleview Gazelle;
  • Castleview Lawerencer;
  • Cross Liam;
  • Dromanig King;
  • Excel, Fenomen;
  • Gerrygullinane Glen;
  • Goldies Jackpot;
  • Grahams Apache;
  • Indigo;
  • Lowflan Lee;
  • Marchermore Augustus;
  • Mullary Intrepid;
  • Ozeus;
  • Sympa;
  • Templequain Mercury;
  • Trueman Jagger;
  • Vagabond;
  • Wilodge Cerberus;
  • Wilodge Goldcard;
  • Wood Road Donald Et;
  • Wood Road Malachy Et.

Free transport will be provided to central locations in NI and to designated locations in the south.

All bulls are:

  • From herds that participate in CHeCS accredited Jones herd testing;
  • Fertility tested from high health status herds;
  • Export tested => available for immediate export to NI.
Limousin bull sale Elphin

Join a winning team – book your appointment to view bulls at Elphin Mart and bid for your new stock bull at Martbids.ie

Bidding will be only with Martbids.ie – download the app today and register to bid at the Irish Limousin Cattle Society’s premier bull sale in Elphin Mart next Saturday, March 13th.

*All data quoted above is from ICBF

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