Stockton, MO- “If you are thinking of
rebuilding or adding to your cow herd this sale will offer 275 high quality
spring calving (late January to April) replacements to do so,” says Patrick
Davis MU Extension Livestock Field Specialist. The 13 consigners of these
heifers participate in the Missouri Show-Me-SelectTM (SMS)
Replacement Heifer Program which educates cattle producers on strategies in
management, reproduction and genetics to develop quality replacement heifers.
This program’s fall SW MO sale will be November 21st at 7:00 p.m. at
Joplin Regional Stockyards near Carthage, Mo.
“This sale offers purebreed and
crossbreed commercial heifers,” says Davis. Breeds that make up these heifers include
Angus, Akaushi, Beefmaster, Gelbvieh, Hereford, Red Angus, Simmental,
Ultrablack and composites of these breeds. Furthermore, color patterns include
black, black/whiteface, red and red/whiteface.
“Close attention has been paid in
mating these heifers,” says Davis. Heifers are mated to bulls that have met
strict calving ease requirements. Some heifers are mated to high accuracy sires
through artificial insemination (AI) which provides an added confidence in
progeny performance. Other heifers are mated to genomically tested natural
service (NS) sires which improves the confidence of progeny performance. Based on
the matings all these females should have calves with ease and based on sire,
progeny may excel in performance and carcass traits.
“Health is very important to the
program and heifer consigners,” says Davis. Consigners have worked closely with
their veterinarian to ensure that these heifers are optimum in health at sale
time. Furthermore, all these heifers have tested negative for BVD-PI which
helps to keep this problem out of your cattle operation.
“We try to be as accurate as possible
on pregnancy detection and estimating heifer calving date,” says Davis. Heifers
are pregnancy checked by a veterinarian within 90 days of the beginning of the
breeding season and within 30 days before the sale to help ensure this accuracy.
However, the calving dates are approximate as history has shown that females
can range two weeks or more around the projected calving date even if heifers are
artificially inseminated on the same day.
For more information about the SMS
Replacement Heifer Program go to https://extension.missouri.edu/programs/show-me-select-replacement-heifer-program
or contact MU Extension Livestock Field Specialists, Davis at (417) 276-3313 or
at [email protected], or Andy McCorkill at (417) 345-7551 or at
[email protected], or Ian McGregor at (417) 466-3102 or at
[email protected]. For
more information on the consigners and sale heifers look at the catalog online
at https://tinyurl.com/62yub47h. This sale has online bidding options
through DVAuction so contact Joplin Regional Stockyard at (417) 548-2333 for
more information on online bidding as well as if you are a new in person
bidder.
