By John F. Grimes
The Ohio Cattlemen’s Association (OCA) is providing an opportunity for both the buyers and sellers of beef breeding cattle this fall. On Friday evening, November 29, the OCA will be hosting their seventh annual Replacement Female Sale. The sale will be held at the Muskingum Livestock facility in Zanesville and will begin at 6:00 p.m.
The 2019 Ohio Cattlemen’s Association Replacement Female Sale will provide an opportunity for both buyers and sellers to meet the need for quality replacements in the state. Consignments may include cow-calf pairs, bred cows and bred heifers. Females must be under the age of five as of January 1, 2020 and may be of registered or commercial background. Bred females must be bred to a bull with known EPD’s and calves at side of cows must be sired by a bull with known EPD’s. Pregnancy status must be verified by an accredited veterinarian through traditional palpation, ultrasound or by blood testing through a professional laboratory. Analysis must be performed within 60 days of sale. Consignments will also be fulfilling specific health requirements.
At the 2018 sale, buyers evaluated 107 lots of bred heifers, bred cows, and cow-calf pairs at the auction. The sale included 80 lots of bred heifers that averaged $1,437, 25 lots of bred cows that averaged $1,377, and two cow-calf pairs that averaged $1,450. The 107 total lots grossed $152,275 for an overall average of $1,423. The females sold to buyers from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
As you consider any potential marketing decisions, keep in mind some factors that have led to successful consignments in previous Replacement Female Sales. Young, high quality cattle backed by solid genetics are in demand with potential buyers. Yearling heifers bred artificially to proven calving ease sires are very marketable. A shorter breeding season that results in a tighter calving window has also proven to be popular with potential buyers. A Body Condition Score in the 5-6 range on a 9-point scale at sale time is a good goal to strive to achieve. Prospective buyers may complain about overly fat breeding cattle, but they certainly resist purchasing breeding cattle that are in thin body condition.
I would also encourage cow-calf producers to consider this sale as an excellent source of replacement seedstock for their operations. This sale will feature females that have met several genetic, health, and age criteria that will allow buyers to purchase with confidence that they will be adding quality animals to their herds. I believe it would be a sound management decision for cattlemen to aggressively cull any problems within the herd such as lack of pregnancy, age, disposition, etc. Replace them with younger females bred to bulls with known genetics and have met proven health protocols.