VIENNA, Mo. - The May 21 Show-Me-Select Bred Heifer Sale at South Central Regional Stockyards in Vienna, Mo., saw a full house with lively bidding.

Eighteen consignors from Osage, Maries, Callaway, Gasconade, Crawford and Miller counties sold 159 heifers for $311,800, said University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist Anita Ellis.

Lenny Keilholz sold the top-selling lot for $2,400 per head. Two lots were purchased online via DV Auction.

“It was a great sale!” said Ellis. “Between all of the hard work of the sale barn staff and the consignors themselves, it ran like a well-oiled machine.”

One buyer told Ellis, “There are a couple of producers I plan to keep an eye on at your future Show-Me-Select sales. I will certainly be looking forward to more of your sales in the future.”

The sales give beef herd owners from across the nation the opportunity to bid on top replacement heifers, Ellis said. Bidders get a guaranteed pregnant heifer and data on her genetics. They also receive a sale catalog with expected calving dates for the heifers.

The final spring Show-Me-Select sale will be June 5 at F&T Livestock Market, Palmyra.

For more information, go to extension.missouri.edu/programs/show-me-select-replacement-heifer-program.