Camera at the Mart: massive online presence in Elphin

Elphin Mart held a special sale of over 100 Limousin and Simmental in-calf heifers for Galway farmer Laurance Dooley last Friday night.

Laurance specialises in an in-calf heifer operation, buying heifers as maiden heifers, putting them in-calf and selling them at an annual sale in Elphin.

The heifers would be described as being straight commercial heifers being produced to go on and do a good job for their new owners.

The majority of the heifers weighed between 600kg and 700kg, with almost all calving down between January and March 2024 to an easy calving Limousin stock bull.

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, newly appointed Elphin Mart manager Ciaran Lynch said: “I’ve never seen an online trade like what we saw last Friday night, with 60% of the heifers in the sale selling to online customers.”

The trade was described as steady on the night, with a 100% clearance recorded.

Better money was being paid for stronger, heavier heifers, with more demand also being seen for heifers closer to calving as opposed to calving later in the spring.

Top call on the night went to a November 2020-born Limousin heifer due to calve in February 2024 selling for €3,260.

The general run of the trade was from €2,500 to €3,000 being paid for the stronger heifers, while the lighter more backward type heifers sold for between €2,000 and €2,500.

Online bidding was on fire on the night, with a lot of farmers having viewed the heifers on farm and chosen the online option then to buy them in the comfort of their own home on the night.

A number of heifers were also bought for export to Northern Ireland.

Croghan man Ciaran Lynch has been appointed as Elphin Mart’s new manager having served as assistant manager since mid-2022.

Commenting on the appointment of Ciaran, Elphin Livestock Mart chair Bernard Donohue said: “Elphin has proudly served the farmers of Roscommon and beyond since 1961. Ciaran, our recently appointed mart manager, will play a key role in ensuring that the mart’s future strategy is relevant and aligned with the needs of our shareholders and our customers.

“I look forward to working closely with Ciaran in building on the success of Elphin Mart.

“The board of Elphin Mart would also like to take this opportunity to thank outgoing manager Kevin Caslin for his work and commitment to the mart throughout his time as manager and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”