One of the notable trends at recent Limousin Society sales is the increasing number of dairy farmers purchasing Limousin bulls. This shift is being driven by several key factors:
- The rising value of the dairy cross calf: Traditionally, milk was the primary product and the calf a by-product. That is no longer the case. It is now common for Limousin × Friesian calves to achieve prices of over €1,000. See an example of Lim X Fr calf selling recently in Castleisland Mart for €1100, (tap unmute button for sound).
- Falling milk prices: With pressure on milk margins, producing a more valuable calf has become an important way to maintain overall farm profitability.
- Shorter gestation bulls: Many Limousin bulls now offer gestation lengths comparable to native breeds, making them more suitable for dairy systems.
Liam Phelan, based in Clogh, Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny, operates a 700-acre dairy farm where he milks over 180 cows. It is very much a family-run enterprise, with his wife Kathleen and his parents, Nicholas and Noreen, all actively involved in the day-to-day running of the farm.
The dairy herd is made up of a mix of breeds, approximately one-third British Friesian, one-third Montbéliarde, and one-third Fleckvieh.
Liam runs a number of Limousin bulls with his dairy herd and purchased three bulls at the Kilkenny multi-breed sale in April 2025, all from the Beechmount herd of Denis and Geraldine Collins from Callan, Co. Kilkenny. All three were sired by Dovea Genetics bull Ewdenvale Ivor, a double F94L, easy calving, short gestation bull.
I run Limousin bulls on my dairy herd because of their calving ease and the quality of the calves.
I also breed some cows to Angus and Fleckvieh, however, Limousin-cross animals generally grade and kill out better. It’s rare to achieve an R grade with an Angus or a Fleckvieh.
Limousin-cross calves from Montbéliarde and Fleckvieh cows typically display the desirable red colouring. Gestation length has not posed any issues for his herd. We milk cows all year round. Calving is split into two main periods: mid-September to December, and mid-January to the middle of April.
All calves are retained on the farm, and for the past four years, Liam has finished them at between 24 and 30 months. Some groups of animals are sold out of the sheds between January and March at approximately two and a half years of age.
The cattle are fed concentrates from housing through to finishing. In the final weeks before slaughter, they receive around 7kg of beef nuts, straw, silage and beet chopped in a diet feeder. Typically, the bulls achieve carcass weights of around 350kgs grading mainly O+ to R. Heifers kill out at around 300kgs.
Although the purchase price of Limousin bulls has increased in recent years, Liam has also seen a corresponding rise in factory prices for finished stock. Last year, he sent two stock bulls to the factory. One, a four-year-old, achieved a carcass weight of 648kg and graded E2, making €3,893 at €6/kg. The second, a five-year-old bull, weighed 533kg deadweight and sold for €3,093 at €5.80/kg. In both cases, the return was close to the original purchase price.
When selecting a Limousin bull, Liam prioritises good feet and legs, as there is a lot of walking in a dairy herd. He also pays close attention to calving ease and gestation length figures, placing less emphasis on the other traits.
In addition to dairying, Liam farms approximately 100 acres of tillage, growing crops such as winter wheat, winter barley, and spring barley.
Like many dairy farmers, Liam sees how important the value of the calf is with milk prices falling. Previously the calf was a by-product on a dairy farm, this is no longer the case.
The upcoming Society sale is the final spring sale of the year in Roscommon on Saturday May 23rd. Keep uptodate on www.irishlimousin.com
