– John F. Grimes, OSU Extension Beef Coordinator
Each of the first five OCA Replacement Female Sales have enjoyed large crowds and active bidders.
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 23, the OCA will be hosting their sixth 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 2018 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, 2019 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 2017 sale, buyers had the opportunity to evaluate 79 lots of bred heifers, bred cows, and cow-calf pairs. The sale included 63 lots of bred heifers that averaged $1,949, 10 lots of bred cows that averaged $2,380, and six cow-calf pairs that averaged $1,925. The 79 total lots grossed $158,125 for an overall average of $2,002. This represented a $355 per head increase in price over the 2016 sale. Prices ranged from $1,300 to $2,900.
Why discuss a sale that is over six months away? As we are in the midst of the 2018 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. A shorter breeding season that results in a tighter calving window has also proven to be popular with potential buyers.
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. 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. 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, 2018. 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.