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Show-Me-Select Heifer sale at Kingsville averages $1,180 for calving-ease breedersMissouri Beef producers in west-central Missouri sold 149 Show-Me-Select replacement heifers for an average of $1,180 at the Kingsville Livestock Auction, Nov. 28. The bred heifers are part of a heifer-improvement educational program conducted by University of Missouri Extension. All heifers were sold guaranteed to be pregnant for 30 days after the sale, said David Hoffman, Harrisonville, Mo., MU Extension regional livestock specialist and sale coordinator. All heifers are pregnancy checked a second time within 30 days of the sale. The top-selling lot averaged $1,400 on four heifers consigned by Gary and Tammy Lawler, Warsaw, Mo. Giles Jones, Garden City, Mo., bought the Angus-Gelbvieh crossbred. Second-highest-selling pen averaged $1,360 on three heifers from Crooks Farm, Leeton, Mo. Wayne Sutton, Archie, Mo., bought the pen of black, white-face Simmental crossbreds. Overall, heifers bred by artificial insemination brought a $120 premium over heifers bred by bulls. "The owners started preparing for the sale a year ago, before the breeding season," Hoffman said. The process starts with selection of proven sires with high accuracy to mate to the first-time calvers. Calving ease is a major consideration in bull selection. "Surveys of past buyers showed low assistance rates at calving time," Hoffman said. "National average for assistance of first-calf heifers runs 25 to 30 percent. In 12 years of the Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program, that rate has dropped below 10 percent." Calving ease doesn't mean trouble-free, Hoffman emphasized. The heifers need to be watched at calving time. The heifers are sold with projected calving dates listed in the sale catalog. However, the livestock specialists urged new owners to start watching the heifers ahead of that expected date. Kingsville buyer surveys show that 90 percent of the calves are born within a two-week window around the expected calving date, Hoffman told prospective buyers before the sale. Livestock graders from USDA and the Missouri Department of Agriculture check the heifers upon arrival at the sale barn. Heifers not meeting all standards including condition, muscling and frame are sent home. Other Show-Me-Select Heifer consignors were Diamond K. Cattle Co., Trimble, Mo.; Jerry Gordon, Windsor, Mo.; Gregory Polled Herefords, Houstonia, Mo.; Chris Hombs, Boonville, Mo.; Willie Lawler, Clinton, Mo.; and Reedy's Cattle Farm, Windsor, Mo. Show-Me-Select heifers are identified with a black-and-gold ear tag bearing a trademarked logo. Details on sales and program standards are available at http://agebb.missouri.edu/select/. Beef producers can start enrolling for the 2010 breeding season after Jan. 1.
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