Southwest Missouri Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program Sale Nov. 17

“The Missouri Show-Me-Select (SMS) Replacement Heifer Program educates cattle producers on heifer development strategies in the areas of management, reproduction and genetics to create a reliable source of quality replacement heifers,” says Patrick Davis MU Extension Livestock Field Specialist.  On November 17th at 7:00 p.m. the Southwest Missouri Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program Sale will be at Joplin Regional Stockyards near Carthage, Mo.  Approximately 90 spring-calving (February to April) SMS Certified bred heifers will be offered for sale.

“Heifer breeds represented in this sale include Angus, Gelbvieh, Red Angus, SimAngus,  Hereford and Beefmaster,” says Davis.  The heifers are purebred or crossbred commercial heifers that are primarily black and black white face with approximately 15% being red or red white face.  Most of the heifers are crossbreds, providing them with a production boost from hybrid vigor.  Research consistently shows crossbred females have more longevity, providing one extra calf in their lifetime compared to a purebred cow.

“Many of the heifers have been artificially inseminated (AI) and carrying a pregnancy from a high accuracy AI sire,” says Davis.  Davis urges cattle producers to buy heifers carrying AI pregnancies from high accuracy sires because this gives more knowledge on how their progeny will perform.  Furthermore, it also helps in choosing replacement heifers that will produce progeny to help the cattle operation’s bottom-line.

“An SMS heifer is a sound, blemish free heifer that sells as a bred heifer in optimum condition,” says Davis.  These heifers follow a research-based heifer development program from weaning to sale day, which promotes optimum management in growth, reproduction, and health.  The heifer is bred to a bull whose progeny are likely to be born with ease.  The heifer has been pregnancy checked multiple times to provide the most accurate calving date possible.  Therefore, as cattle producers rebuild their cowherd Davis urges consideration of SMS heifers since their development leads to functional, sound, healthy females that have their first calf with ease and continue to produce in the herd for a long time.

To view the pre-sale catalog, go to https://tinyurl.com/5a3ffdk3.  For information about the Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program go to https://extension.missouri.edu/programs/show-me-select-replacement-heifer-program or contact MU Extension Livestock Field Specialists, Patrick Davis at (417) 276-3313 or davismp@missouri.edu, or Andy McCorkill at (417) 345-7551 or mccorkilla@missouri.edu, or Elizabeth Picking at (417) 256-2391 or macconnelle@missouri.edu.  For information about online bidding or for new in-person bidding, contact the Joplin Regional Stockyards at 417-548-2333.