Breeding Season and Marketing Considerations

John F. Grimes, OSU Extension Beef Coordinator

The Ohio Cattlemen’s Association (OCA) is announcing an event of potential interest for both the buyers and sellers of beef breeding cattle. On Friday evening, November 25, the OCA will be hosting their fourth 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 2016 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, 2017 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 2015 OCA Replacement Female Sale, buyers had the opportunity to appraise 111 lots of bred heifers and bred cows. 88 lots of bred heifers that averaged $2,350 and 23 lots of bred cows that averaged $2,465. The 111 total lots grossed $263,475 for an overall average of $2,374. The current demand for bred replacement females appears to be softer than in 2014 and 2015 but is strong from a historical perspective outside of those two unique marketing seasons.

Why discuss a sale that is over six months away? As we are in the midst of the 2016 breeding season, now is an excellent time to evaluate your herd and consider marketing decisions for the fall. 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. It is also a great time to evaluate the body condition of potential sale animals and make nutritional adjustments to the animal’s diet in anticipation of a late November sale date. It is my experience that while prospective buyers may complain about overly fat breeding cattle, they certainly resist purchasing breeding cattle that are in thin body condition.

Consignments for the sale are due to the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association by October 1, 2016. Sale information can be obtained by contacting the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association at (614) 873-6736 or at their web site located at www.ohiocattle.org . If you have any questions about the sale, you can call me at my office at (740) 289-2071, Extension #242 or contact me by e-mail at grimes.1@osu.edu. Please consider this sale as an option for both buyers and sellers to help contribute to the improvement of Ohio’s beef cow herd.