FIRST FALL-CALVING 'SHOW-ME' HEIFER SALE SET FOR MAY 6 AT FRUITLAND

The first sale of fall-calving heifers in the Show Me Select Heifer Development Program will be held Saturday, May 6, at the Fruitland Livestock Auction.

The sale will feature 175 heifers bred to calve between Sept. 1 and Nov. 1, said Roger Eakins, University of Missouri regional livestock specialist.

The sale starts at 1 p.m. at the auction barn located on Highway 61 three miles north of Exit 105 off Interstate 55.

The heifers are mostly black, with a good representation of purebred Angus in the consignments. "The majority have been bred AI, which the bidders have shown that they prefer," Eakins said.

The sale is an offshoot of the popular fall sales of Show Me Select Heifers that were held all across the state for the first time last year. This will be the fourth year for the program in Missouri.

"In southeast Missouri, they are leading the way on offering fall calving heifers," said David Patterson, MU extension beef reproduction specialist. "I expect we will see more spring sales, especially in southern Missouri."

"The group in southeast has taken the state requirements and added to the requirements on the genetics said," Patterson said. "They will have a lot more information on their heifers."

Eakins agreed. "We'll know a lot more about the heifers, including their birth dates and their sires. We'll have a more complete catalog with more footnotes."

The MU Show Me Select Heifer Development program emphasizes having heifers in good condition before breeding season. All have been examined on-farm by veterinarians for reproductive tract scores and pelvic area measurements. Minimum standards must be met before the heifers can be consigned.

The program also requires bulls that have low birthweight EPDs (Expected Progeny Differences.)

Surveys of buyers at past sales show a strong preference for heifers bred by artificial insemination (AI). Generally, AI allows the use of higher quality proven bulls and allows for a shorter calving season.

Eakins said not all of the producers in the fall sale last year, have heifers for the spring sale.

"The stricter requirements also reduced the number of consignors; so there are only seven consignors for the spring sale," Eakins said. "Most are elite, with complete records on their herds, including excellent carcass data."

"The owners will have printouts and can provide buyers with about anything they want to know about their heifers.

"All of the heifers offered have been pregnancy checked," Eakins said. "I've been weighing some of them, and they are looking real good."

More information and catalogs can be obtained from Eakins at the University Outreach and Extension Center in Jackson, or at 243-3581.

The auction is sponsored by: SEMO Cattlemen's Association, in cooperation with University Outreach and Extension Commercial Agriculture Program, MU College of Veterinary Medicine, the Missouri Cattlemen's Association and Missouri Department of Agriculture.