Enrollment open for Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program
Published 1:43 pm Friday, July 31, 2026
MONTICELLO — Cattle producers looking to improve the quality and marketability of their replacement heifers can now enroll in Missouri’s Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program, a long-running heifer development initiative supported by University of Missouri Extension livestock specialists.
The research-backed program focuses on reproductive soundness, animal health, genetics, and overall herd management. Enrollment deadlines are Feb. 1 for the spring breeding season and Sept. 1 for the fall breeding season, with regional sales held each spring and fall in Palmyra.
To earn the program’s official ear tag, a mark of verified quality intended to give buyers added confidence, enrolled heifers must meet specific requirements related to nutrition, health, reproduction, and disposition.
Preparation for the program begins at weaning, when heifers receive required vaccinations and are evaluated for structural soundness and blemishes. An MU Extension livestock specialist must be present on-site for three key exams: a pre-breeding exam conducted 30 to 60 days before breeding, a pregnancy exam within 90 days after breeding begins, and a pre-sale exam within 30 days of the sale. Sires used in the program must be registered with their respective national breed associations and have a complete expected progeny differences profile, a genetic evaluation tool used to predict how a bull’s offspring will perform.
Producers interested in enrolling or participating in a sale can contact Brenda Schreck, a livestock specialist with the Lewis County Extension office in Monticello, at 573-767-5273 or schreckb@missouri.edu.
More information about the program is available through University of Missouri Extension’s website or the northeast region program’s website and Facebook page.
