– Garth Ruff, OCA Replacement Female Sale Manager
82 lots averaged $2905.
The Ohio Cattlemen’s Association (OCA) held their 12th annual Replacement Female Sale on November 29th at the Muskingum Livestock Auction Company in Zanesville, Ohio. A large crowd was on hand and online to bid on 82 high quality females in the sale. The sale represented an excellent opportunity for cow-calf producers to add quality females with documented breeding and health records to their herds.
Buyers evaluated 81 lots of bred heifers, bred cows, and cow-calf pairs at the auction. The sale included 54 lots of bred heifers that averaged $2,961, 3 cow-calf pairs sold for $3,333, and 24 lots of bred cows that averaged $2,804. One open cow sold for $1,250. The 82 total lots grossed $238,250 for an overall average of $2,905. The females sold to buyers from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Col. Ron Kreis served as the auctioneer.
Sales prices were higher year over year driven by current cattle prices and the quality of the females offered, as the 2024 sale represented a $458 per head price increase over the 2023 sale. Demand was very strong for quality females as 72 lots sold for at least $2,500 and 34 of those sold for $3,000 or greater.
Erv-N-Del Farms of Louisville, OH consigned the top selling cows. The Lot 40 Purebred Simmental was sold to Zackery Jones of Freeport, OH for $3,600. The Lot 44 Purebred Simmental consigned by Erv-N-Del sold for $3,300 to Circle H Livestock from Dundee, OH.
1840 Angus Farm of Homerville sold the high selling pair, Lot 1 to LinJus Farms of Duncan Falls at $3,700. VanHorn Farms from Malta sold the Lot 72 LimFlex pair for $3,500 to Gail Williamson of Warsaw.
Crum Cattle Company of Wooster, OH consigned the top selling bred heifer. The Lot 29 commercial half Simmental heifer sold to Rose Koehler of Lancaster, OH for $3,700. The second highest selling bred heifer sold at $3,600. 1840 Angus Farm of Homerville, OH sold the Lot 7 SimAngus female to Zakery Jones of Freeport, OH. Crum Cattle Company sold a pair of 50% Simmental heifers, Lots 28 and 30 at $3,500. The Lot 4 Registered Angus heifer from 1840 Angus also sold for $3,500.
As in past years, the sale truly was an excellent opportunity for both buyers and sellers. Buyers were able to improve their herds by adding high quality females with known genetic and health backgrounds. Sellers were able to capitalize on increased prices for breeding cattle, driven by historic highs in the cattle market throughout the past year. The 2024 drought may have kept some buyers out of the market for replacements, but overall, the sale was strong throughout.
If you have any questions about the sale, contact Garth Ruff, OCA Replacement Female Sale Manager at (740) 651-7140, or by e-mail at ruff.72@osu.edu. More 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.