STOCKTON, Mo. – “Record prices were seen at the southwest Missouri Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program sale at Joplin Regional Stockyards on May 17,” says Patrick Davis, University of Missouri Extension livestock field specialist.

Even though this was one of the smallest offerings in sale history, the strong market led to five consignors marketing 69 bred heifers for an average price of $3,439 per heifer, Davis says. This per heifer average is the highest average recorded for this sale in recent years and more than $1,000 higher than the sale average last year, when 133 heifers were sold.

“Longtime sale participants topped the sale,” he says. Longtime sale consignor Nolan Kleiboeker Farms LLC of Wentworth had the top-selling lots, with two of its lots selling for $4,100 per heifer. This beats the previous record for this sale location of $3,700 per heifer, which was set in the fall of 2014. A total of eight heifers were sold in the two lots. Buyers included Mathew Heidlage of Wentworth and Nathaniel Graber of La Russell. Nolan Kleiboeker Farms sold the most heifers in the sale: 36 black/white-face heifers with the highest average price, $3,886 per heifer. Longtime consignor and program participant Meadowlyn Farms LLC of Cassville sold five black SimAngus heifers for the second-highest average price of $3,540 per heifer. Finally, longtime consignor Dale Kunkel Farms sold two commercial Red Angus heifers for the third-highest average price of $3,400.

“A first-time buyer bought the most heifers in this sale,” says Davis. Randy Little of Republic bought 12 heifers from Nolan Kleiboeker Farms for the third-highest average price of $3,866 per heifer. Nathaniel Graber, who hasn’t bought heifers through this sale since 2000, bought the third most heifers – nine head at the highest average price of $4,044 per heifer. These heifers were consigned by Nolan Kleiboeker Farms and Mast Farms of Lamar. Mathew Heidlage, who has bought heifers in the previous three spring sales, purchased 10 heifers from Nolan Kleiboeker Farms for an average price of $3,920 per heifer. This was the second-highest number of heifers purchased at the second-highest average price.

If you are interested in participating in the Missouri Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program or want more information, visit http://muext.us/SMS or contact your local MU Extension livestock field specialist.