STOCKTON, Mo. – “If you are looking to replenish your cattle herd consider the upcoming Southwest Missouri Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program sale at Joplin Regional Stockyards on May 17 at 7 p.m.,” says Patrick Davis, University of Missouri Extension livestock field specialist. This sale will consist of approximately 80 commercial fall-calving bred heifers.

“About 65% of the sale heifers are black or black whiteface, and 35% of the sale heifers are red or red whiteface,” says Davis. The breed and breed crosses include Angus, Balancer, Gelbvieh, Red Angus, SimAngus and Hereford. Most of the heifers are crossbred, 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,” he says. 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. 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 cowherds rebuild consider an SMS heifer, 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,” he says. To view a heifer presale catalog, go to https://shorturl.at/rDY09.

For more information on the program and the sale, contact Davis at 417-276-3313 or davismp@missouri.edu; Andy McCorkill, MU Extension livestock field specialist, at 417-345-7551 or mccorkilla@missouri.edu; or MU Extension livestock field specialist Elizabeth Picking at 417-256-2391 or macconnelle@missouri.edu.

In addition, you can go to the program website at http://muext.us/SMS.