Final fall 2024 Show-Me-Select sale sets record
PALMYRA, Mo. – The sixth and final fall sale of Show-Me-Select heifers, Saturday, Dec. 14, in Palmyra, set a local record for total cost of heifers sold. The 53 buyers set a northeastern Missouri record $1,162,600 worth of bred heifers exchanging hands in one-and-a-half hours. Thirty-five repeat buyers purchased 192 head, or 59% of the total consignment, said Daniel Mallory, University of Missouri Extension regional livestock…
Pick up the 2025 Redbook at your local MU Extension center
STOCKTON, Mo. – “Recordkeeping is important to make management decisions for optimum cattle operation productivity and profitability,” says Patrick Davis, University of Missouri Extension livestock field specialist. Davis urges cattle producers to consider purchasing the 2025 pocket-size “Redbook” to aid in their recordkeeping. The books are available at county MU Extension centers for $8 per copy.
SW Missouri Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer sale results
STOCKTON, Mo. – Strong sale with record prices were seen at the Southwest Missouri Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer sale at Joplin Regional Stockyards on Nov. 15, says Patrick Davis, University of Missouri Extension livestock field specialist. This sale had eight consignors sell 112 heifers for an average price of $3,205 per heifer. Compared to the fall 2023 sale, the sale average was $299 higher per heifer and 27 more heifers were…
Rebuild your cow herd with proper heifer development
STOCKTON, Mo. – “Proper heifer development is key to a successful cattle herd and profitable operation,” says Patrick Davis, University of Missouri Extension livestock field specialist. As herds rebuild from drought or old cow turnover due to favorable prices, heifer development is taking place to build the next cow herd. Also, as cattle producers look to buy replacement heifers, this can be a way to add value to your cattle operation.
Proper outside large round bale storage reduces hay losses
STOCKTON, Mo. – “As hay season continues, I see a lot of large round hay bales being stored outside,” says University of Missouri Extension livestock field specialist Patrick Davis. If hay is not stored properly outside, farmers can see significant dry matter and quality losses. Factors that contribute to these losses include:
New guide details Show-Me-Select enhanced option
COLUMBIA, Mo. – An additional marketing opportunity for cattle producers is outlined in a new University of Missouri Extension guide, “Adding Value to Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifers Using Show-Me-Plus,” available at https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g2094.
Records set at SW Missouri Show-Me-Select heifer sale
STOCKTON, Mo. – “Record prices were seen at the southwest Missouri Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program sale at Joplin Regional Stockyards on May 17,” says Patrick Davis, University of Missouri Extension livestock field specialist.
Use heifer pre-breeding exams as a culling tool and to prepare for breeding season
STOCKTON, Mo. – “As cattle producers rebuild their cattle herds, the focus may be to retain heifers as replacements,” says Patrick Davis, University of Missouri Extension livestock field specialist. Breeding season will soon be upon us, and it is important to retain heifers that are good breeding prospects.
MU Show-Me-Select program had successful 2023
University of Missouri Extension’s Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program had a successful year in 2023 for both buyers and sellers, even with some impact on fall sales from drought. The fall 2023 sale season wrapped up with 928 Show-Me-Select heifers marketed through six sanctioned sale locations with gross sales of $2,544,825.
Four SE Missouri cattle producers recognized
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Four southeastern Missouri cattle producers were recognized recently for their contributions to the Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program over more than a quarter of a century each.The four were recognized prior to the most recent Show-Me-Select sale, says Erin Larimore, University of Missouri Extension animal science research specialist.
Show-Me-Select heifers average more than $2,600 per head in fall sales at Fruitland
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The market for spring calvers in the Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program proved strong at fall 2022 sales, with top buyers paying in the $3,500 per head range at some sales.Buyers paid an average of $2,638 for Show-Me-Select heifers on Dec. 2 at the SEMO Livestock Sales auction in Fruitland. The average was an impressive jump from the 2021 average of $2,112, says sale coordinator Erin Larimore of University of…
Show-Me-Select lowers enrollment fees
COLUMBIA, Mo. – U.S. Marine Corps recruiters used to say they were “looking for a few good men.” University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist Eldon Cole says he is “looking for a few good heifers” to help beef producers through the Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program.
Show-Me-Select sale at Palmyra marks 25th year
PALMYRA, Mo. – Twenty-nine buyers bought more than $305,000 worth of bred heifers in less than 60 minutes at the June 5 Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program sale at F&T Livestock Auction in Palmyra.University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist Daniel Mallory said 165 heifers averaged $1,851.
Buyers show confidence at Show-Me-Select heifer sales
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Spring Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer sales saw heavy interest and strong prices, says Erin Larimore, sales coordinator for University of Missouri Extension’s Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program.
Full house packs Show-Me-Select sale at Vienna
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…
Lively bidding at revived central Missouri Show-Me-Select heifer sale
VIENNA, Mo. – The Show-Me-Select Bred Heifer Sale at Vienna’s South Central Regional Stockyards on May 22—the first SMS sale in central Missouri since 2003—saw a large turnout and active bidding, said University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist Anita Ellis, who coordinates the sales for central Missouri.
Show-Me-Select fall-calving heifer sale draws first-time buyers
PALMYRA, Mo. – The Northeast Missouri Show-Me-Select Bred Heifer Sale at Palmyra’s F&T Livestock Auction May 30 saw a large turnout and active bidding on most lots, according to University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist Daniel Mallory.Sales receipts topped a quarter million dollars.
New fall-calving Show-Me-Select Heifer Sale draws first-time buyers
KINGSVILLE, Mo. – The Show-Me-Select Bred Heifer Sale at Kingsville Livestock Auction May 16 saw a large turnout and active bidding on most lots, according to University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist David Hoffman.The 151 heifers averaged $1,713. The AI-bred heifers averaged $1,752, fetching more than $110 more per head than 52 bull-bred heifers at $1,638.
Show-Me-Select heifer sale in Joplin shows solid results
JOPLIN, Mo. - The May 15 Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Sale at Joplin Regional Stockyards saw a large turnout and active bidding on most lots, according to University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist Eldon Cole. The 215 heifers averaged $1,687.“The sale started off hot with four of the first six lots topping the $2,000 mark,” said Cole. The top price of $2,200 was paid for two red Angus heifers consigned by Kunkel Farms,…
A consistent presence
Eldon Cole has served Missourians through MU Extension for 50-plus years. A lot has changed in the 56 years that Eldon Cole has served as a University of Missouri Extension specialist, but one thing has remained incredibly consistent – Cole’s desire to build relationships with the Missourians he continually serves.
Drought cuts pasture growth, farmers face culling cow herds
COLUMBIA, Mo. – In dry weather with short pastures, Missouri cow-herd owners face tough culling decisions. One way to match cows’ needs to available grass is to sell cows.Give careful thought to which grass eaters go first, says Eric Bailey, University of Missouri Extension beef nutritionist. Under drought stress, identifying those cows becomes urgent.
MU Extension offers four-day tour for cattle producers
HERMITAGE, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension offers cattlemen a bus tour of cattle operations in Kansas and Oklahoma Aug. 6-9.MU Extension livestock specialist Patrick Davis said the tour offers an opportunity to learn to manage herds better to make them healthier and more profitable. Registration deadline is July 15.Tour stops include:• Neosho Valley Feeders. This is a small feedlot operation based in Parsons, Kan.
Cool-season pastures start regrowth with arrival of warm-weather rains
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Cool-season grasses such as fescue that dominate pasture grass in Missouri need warm weather to grow.The coldest April since 1907 set back forage for Missouri’s beef cow herds. Now, warm weather with rain creates forage for grazing and haying, said forage specialist Craig Roberts in a weekly University of Missouri Extension teleconference.New grass growth works best if an early crop of seed heads were clipped. That idea…
Cattle farm tour shows how shade improves profits
ST. JAMES, Mo. – Cattle producers are invited to attend a field day at the Mingo Farm in St. James to learn how to use natural shade to improve their beef operation.The field day begins at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 13, at the Mingo cow-calf operation, 25385 County Road 1000, St. James. University of Missouri Extension, MU Center for Agroforestry and MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources sponsor the event.
Show-Me-Select heifers average $1,787 in second sale of spring at Fruitland, Mo.
FRUITLAND, Mo. – The 135 bred heifers averaged $1,787 with a top of $2,400 at the Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer sale, Friday, May 4.The second sale of the spring season averaged $252 more than the first sale of fall-calving heifers, April 20 at Farmington. Two more sales are set at Joplin, May 18, and Palmyra, June 2.