“A full house saw a strong Show Me Select™ (SMS) Replacement Heifer Program Sale on November 21st at Joplin Regional Stockyards,” says Patrick Davis MU Extension Livestock Field Specialist. 246 heifers sold from 13 consigners for an average price of $4,177 per heifer. This average was higher than the record average for this sale location in the spring 2025 sale when 124 heifers sold for an average price of $4,010 per heifer. This sale totaled over a million dollars in sales which is the highest total sales for an SMS sale at Joplin Regional Stockyards since the fall of 2014 when 521 heifers sold for an average price of $2,888 per heifer which is 1.5 million dollars in sales.
A University of Tennessee guide reported that spring calving heifers sold in November were 2.8 times the value of a 550 lb. feeder heifer. When comparing the current sale bred heifer prices to feeder heifer prices in the previous weeks SW MO Weekly Summary Report from Missouri Department of Agriculture, the average bred heifer value was 2.1 times the value of a 550 lb. feeder heifer.
“An old and new consigner topped the sale,” says Davis. Longtime consigner John Wheeler of Marionville, MO had the highest average where he sold 16 black, white face Hereford/Angus cross heifers for an average price of $4,637 per heifer. The second highest average price was by new consigner Cash Brown/Cross B4 Livestock who sold 15 black Ultrablack cross heifers and 3 Red Angus cross heifers for an average price of $4,588 per heifer. Both consigners had the top selling lot at $4,800 per heifer. Wheeler’s lot was 5 head of Hereford/Angus cross black, white face heifers artificially inseminated (AI) to an Angus bull. Brown’s lot was 5 head of Ultrablack cross black heifers AI bred to an Ultrablack bull.
“The volume buyer was a previous SMS heifer sale consigner and bought his heifers via internet,” says Davis. Dale Rector of Rector Farms, Rogersville, MO was the volume buyer purchasing 49 heifers via internet. Rector has been a previous participant of the SMS program and last sold heifer in the May 2022 sale at Joplin Regional Stockyards.
