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Show-Me-Select Heifer Meeting is Feb. 20Missouri The Show-Me-Select Beef Heifer Development Program has created quite a stir in the beef industry. The forward-thinking, high technology effort was initiated in the Show-Me state in 1996 through the efforts of University of Missouri Extension faculty on campus and across the state. A meeting to update interested producers on how they can become involved in the Show-Me-Select Beef Heifer Development Program will be start at 7 p.m., Feb. 20 in the Extension office located inside the Lawrence County Courthouse, Mt. Vernon, Mo. Besides reviewing the guidelines for the program in 2012, final plans will be discussed for the sale of bred heifers on May 18. The sale will be held at Joplin Regional Stockyards, Carthage and promises to be an exciting one according to Eldon Cole, a livestock specialist with University of Missouri Extension. "Last fall just over 500 yearling heifers were given the SMS pre-breeding exam in southwest Missouri and bred to calving ease bulls to calve form mid-August into November. We're not certain how many heifers will be destined for the sale but this meeting on Feb. 20 will give a better idea of the sale offering," said Cole. A lot of attention is being given to the regional interest in building the cow herd. Cole says that interest means this will be a great opportunity for producers to get started. "Herd expansion is likely to continue for a few years, weather permitting. The SMS program appears to be an opportunity for top quality producers to add value to their heifers beyond their current values as feeders," said Cole. Persons wanting to learn more about the program are invited to attend this Feb. 20 meeting. For more information contact any of the MU Extension livestock specialists in southwest Missouri: Eldon Cole in Mt. Vernon, 417-466-3102, Andy McCorkill in Dallas County at 417-345-7551 or Dona Goede in Cedar County, 417-276-3313.
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