COLUMBIA, Mo. — Spring Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer sales saw heavy interest and strong prices, says Erin Larimore, Show-Me-Select sales coordinator and University of Missouri Extension specialist.

Larimore says beef herd owners continue to seek out SMS heifers to buy guaranteed-pregnant heifers with proven genetics. “There was excellent demand, as shown by the strength of prices in the spring 2021 sales,” she says.

Buyers show continued interest in Tier Two heifers because of their proven genetic merits, says Larimore. Tier Two heifers come from highly proven AI sires. Buyers have greater confidence in the superiority of the calf the heifer is carrying. In bidding, the AI-bred heifers usually fetch $200 more than natural-bred heifers, says Larimore.

At SEMO Livestock Sales in Jackson on May 7, heifers brought an average of $2,067, with the top heifer bringing $3,750. Sale total was $223,300 with 108 heifers consigned.

At the May 14 sale at Farmington Regional Stockyards, 131 heifers brought an average price of $1,862. The top seller brought $2,900.

Eager buyers pushed the average sale price of heifers to $1,973 at Kingsville Regional Stockyards on May 15. The top price of $2,400 came from a field of 138 consigned heifers.

With 256 heifers, buyers had a large group to choose from at the Joplin Regional Stockyards sale in Carthage on May 21. The top seller brought $2,400, pushing the average price per head to $1,751.

The South Central Regional Stockyard sale at Vienna on May 21 saw lots of bidding action, with the top seller going for $2,400. The average sale price on the 159 heifers was $1,961.

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

For more information about the program, go to extension.missouri.edu/programs/show-me-select-replacement-heifer-program, or contact regional sale coordinators at their county MU Extension centers.

— Linda Geist, University of Missouri Extension

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