The Central Missouri Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program will have its second annual Spring Sale at the South Central Regional Stockyards in Vienna at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 21.

Over 170 heifers will be available for viewing in their respective sale lots after 4 p.m. 

DV Auction online bidding will be available during this sale.

The Show-Me-Select heifer program is a nationally recognized educational program that helps producers develop and market productive females that can remain in the herd for years.

“Under the supervision of producers, veterinarians, and University of Missouri Extension livestock specialists, each heifer goes through a strict health and reproductive protocol to help reduce calving difficulty, providing a legitimate guarantee,” said Anita Ellis, Extension livestock specialist who serves as the Central Region SMS coordinator.

Ellis said this sale offers an excellent variety of heifers including black Angus, black-white-face Angus cross, Charolais cross, Limousin and Lim-flex cross breeds.

Last year’s sale — the first in the region in many years — saw a large turnout and active bidding, said Ellis.

Sale receipts for the 145 heifers topped $251,575, Ellis said, and online bidding was a popular option. 

“We had about a 75-percent increase in producer participation in this area in the first year,” she said. “And this year, it continues to grow. We have an additional nine new producers to add to this year’s sale!” 

All heifers in the Show-Me-Select heifer program must be pregnancy tested within 90 days of breeding by a veterinarian to determine expected calving date.  The use of ultrasound has helped many of the veterinarians improve their accuracies on calving dates.  

During the development period the heifers undergo an extensive health program and are vaccinated at weaning, pre-breeding, and pregnancy examination as well as treated several times for internal and external parasites.  Heifers are also screened for blemishes, condition, muscling and structural soundness by MU livestock specialist and USDA graders.

For more information or to receive a catalog, contact Ellis, headquartered at the MU Extension office of Callaway County in Fulton, via email to snella@missouri.edu. Videos of the incoming heifers can be found on Facebook by searching SMSCentralMO.