2024 requirements for Show-Me-Select Program and sales
Program eligibility | Genetic requirements | Sale eligibility | Certification | Fees
Program eligibility requirements
Enrollment: To enroll heifers in the Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program, contact the regional extension livestock coordinator that serves your region. Enrollment deadlines are February 1 for the spring breeding season and September 1 for the fall breeding season.
Ownership: Heifers enrolled in the program must be owned by Missouri residents. Heifers that are purchased rather than home-raised must be owned a minimum of 60 days prior to breeding. The name and address of the original breeder and the approximate birth dates of the heifers must still be reported for purchased heifers.
Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certification: Producers are encouraged to obtain Beef Quality Assurance certification, but it is not required. In-person or online certifications are accepted.
Minimum vaccination requirements: Follow label directions for all products used. A comprehensive herd health vaccination program starting at weaning age or before should be administered under the advice and guidance of a veterinarian in the context of a valid veterinary-client-patient relationship. The following vaccination program is required at a minimum:
- Calfhood vaccination against brucellosis (Bangs) is OPTIONAL. Official calfhood vaccination (OCV) tag number will be recorded as a secondary, official ID. Note that brucellosis vaccination must be given by an accredited veterinarian in accordance with state and federal regulations (i.e. prior to heifers reaching over 12 months of age). Heifers not receiving an official ID at OCV, must receive an official 840 ID. Official 840 ID tags are available from accredited veterinarians through the State Veterinarians office.
- Weaning - Vaccination against IBR, BVD, PI 3, BRSV, leptospirosis (5-way), vibriosis and 8-way clostridia.
- Pregnancy check - A booster vaccination against leptospirosis (5-way) and clostridia (8-way) is required at pregnancy examination.
Prebreeding evaluation: A prebreeding reproductive evaluation is required for all heifers and must be performed 30 to 60 days prior to breeding. Individual animal identification, pelvic measurement and reproductive tract score is required at this time. Heifers must have a minimum pelvic area of 150 cm2. Heifers with a pelvic area smaller than 150 cm2 may be re-measured at the initial pregnancy exam, performed within 90 days from the start of the breeding season. At that time, heifers that are re-measured must have a minimum pelvic area of 180 cm2 to qualify.
Breeding: Producers using artificial insemination must report breeding dates as well as method of estrus synchronization (if applicable). Natural service bull exposure dates are also reported. To ensure accuracy when distinguishing between AI versus natural service pregnancies, heifers that are bred artificially may not be exposed for natural service for a minimum of:
- 14 days following a non-synchronized, spontaneous estrus.
- 14 days after the administration of PG at the beginning of a synchronized period, when AI is performed on the basis of observed heat.
- 14 days after fixed-time AI when heifers are inseminated by appointment, following administration of an estrus synchronization protocol.
Pregnancy examination: An initial pregnancy examination must be performed within 90 days from the start of the breeding season. Individual animal identification, pregnancy status and fetal age (in days) are required. Reporting of fetal sex is optional. Any heifer that fails to become pregnant, or loses a pregnancy following the original breeding season, is no longer eligible for the program.
Genetic requirements
Sire requirements: Eligible sires must have known ID, be registered by their respective national breed registry, and have complete EPD information. Sires will be evaluated for qualification in the program based on the EPD provided by their respective breed registry and not on EPD produced by progeny registration in any other breed or hybrid registry. All sires used in conjunction with artificial insemination must have a minimum accuracy value listed in Table 1 on a BIF scale of zero to one for CED EPDs. Sires must meet calving ease EPD requirements listed in Table 2. All natural service sires must have GE-EPDs.
Table 1. Active sire percentile rank and accuracy requirements
| Breed group | Percentile/EPD requirement | A.I. accuracy requirement |
| Angus | CED ≥7.0 | 0.60 |
| International Genetic Solutions | CED ≥14.0 | 0.60 |
| Hereford | Upper 25% | 0.50 |
| American | Upper 20% | 0.60 |
| British | Upper 25% | 0.60 |
| Continental | Upper 15% | 0.60 |
| Hybrid | Upper 15% | 0.60 |
Table 2. Service sire EPD requirements for calving ease
| Service sire breed | 2024 minimum calving ease EPD |
| Angus | 7.0 |
| Balancer | 14.0 |
| Beefmaster | 4.90 |
| Brangus | 7.29 |
| Braunvieh | 14.0 |
| Charolais | 15.4 |
| Gelbvieh | 14.0 |
| LimFlex | 14.0 |
| Limousin | 14.0 |
| Maine Anjou | 11.0 |
| MaineTainer | 14.0 |
| Hereford | 6.4 |
| Red Angus | 14.0 |
| Salers | 14.0 |
| Shorthorn | 14.0 |
| SimAngus | 14.0 |
| Simmental | 14.0 |
| South Devon | 14.0 |
| Tarentaise | 6.0 |
- Bulls or semen purchased:
- on or after February 1 of the current year must meet the requirements in Tables 1 and 2;
- before February 1 must meet the previous year's requirements.
- Two sire classifications will be recognized in SMS Heifer Sales:
- Artificial insemination sires
- Natural service sires
Tier Two Classification: Heifers will be eligible to qualify for Tier Two in the Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program based on the following minimum accuracies of the heifer's sire at the time of sale for the respective traits listed below.
| Trait | Accuracy |
| Calving ease (direct) | .65 |
| Calving ease (maternal) | .30 |
| Weaning weight | .75 |
| Carcass weight | .20 |
| Marbling | .20 |
Show-Me-Plus Classification: Heifers tested with a heifer genomic prediction panel approved by University of Missouri Extension will be given the designation of a Show-Me-Plus Heifer. These include breed association GE-EPD, GeneMax Advantage, Inherit Select, Red Navigator, Igenity Beef, and Method Choice tests. Heifer DNA samples must be submitted and paid for two months prior to sale date. Genomic panel results must be sent to regional coordinator and state beef geneticist prior to tagging.
Sale eligibility requirements
Parasite control: All heifers must be treated for internal and external parasites within 30 days of sale. Products for internal parasite control must have a label claim for immature stages of the parasite life cycle.
Surgery: Horns must be removed and any scurs over 2 inches in length must be removed. Heifers must be completely healed by sale day.
Implants and MGA: It is recommended that heifers not be implanted. If heifers are implanted, it is required that only FDA approved products for replacement heifers be used and administered according to label guidelines. Use of MGA to synchronize estrus is permitted (e.g. for a period of 14 days), but longer term feeding of MGA is prohibited.
Blemishes: Heifers with active cases of pinkeye or scars resulting from pinkeye are not eligible for sale. In addition, heifers with rattails, bob-tails, frozen ears or other physical blemishes or deformities will not be eligible for sale. The regional sale committees reserve the right to refuse any heifer that does not meet the criteria for blemishes or any heifer deemed to have an undesirable disposition on sale day.
Weight and body condition: Bred heifers on the day of sale must weigh a minimum of 800 pounds and receive a body condition score within a range of 5 through 8 using a 9-point scale. All bred heifers will be sold on a per head basis.
BVD-PI: Heifers offered for sale must be tested and guaranteed negative for BVD-PI.
Inspection of heifers: Heifers will be evaluated prior to sale by a certified USDA grader for frame, muscle, foot and leg conformation, body condition, blemishes and disposition. All heifers must be a frame score of medium or large and a muscle score of No. 1 or No. 2. Heifers should have a hoof claw shape score of 3 to 7 and a hoof set angle of 3 to 7. Leg conformation that results in uncoordinated, slow movement or a stiff, restricted range of motion is not acceptable. Heifers that are severely post-legged, splay-footed, sickle-hocked, knock-kneed, or bucked-kneed will not be eligible for consignment in a sanctioned Show-Me-Select sale. For more information, refer to MU Extension publication G2093, Screening Criteria for Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifers.
Pregnancy: A confirmatory pregnancy examination must be performed within 30 days prior to sale. The consignor guarantees bred heifers to be safe in calf at the time of sale. If a heifer is proven by veterinary exam within 30 days after sale not to have been pregnant, the consignor will replace the heifer or make a financial settlement with the buyer. Spring calving heifers must be bred to calve prior to May 1 and fall calving heifers must be bred to calve prior to December 1. Heifers in individual sale lots are grouped to calve within approximately 45 days of each other based on expected calving dates.
Certification
An official Show-Me-Select program ear tag is required for sale of heifers as Show-Me-Select heifers. Only heifers that are officially enrolled in the Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program and meet all requirements listed above are eligible receive a certified Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer ear tag. Misrepresentation, false advertisement or use of the Missouri Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer trademark, for heifers that do not meet the aforementioned requirements is subject to penalty.
Fee structure
An annual membership fee of $25 will be assessed from each producer. An enrollment fee of $2 per heifer will be assessed at prebreeding on heifers entered into the program. All forms for prebreeding must be submitted prior to pregnancy exam. A certification tag fee of $20 per heifer will be assessed at the time Show-Me-Select qualified heifers receive their official tag. An official Show-Me-Select ear tag is required for heifers to sell through a sanctioned sale or private treaty, but is optional for heifers retained on-farm.
| Annual membership fee | Enrollment fee | Certification tag fee |
| $25 flat fee per producer for annual membership | $2 per heifer enrolled, assessed at prebreeding | $20 per heifer tagged with official Show-Me-Select tag |