The American rancher is a very particular being. When it comes to culling they are ruthless. Docility, calf quality, fertility, calving ability, udders and feet are continuously evaluated and improved in herds. Some produce their own replacements, and some source from specialised replacement ranches.

These operations typically take in batches of weaned, spring-born heifer calves at six to seven months of age and market them as in-calf, high-quality replacements 12 months later.

Replacement ranch

Dallas Schott runs an operation like this in south Dakota, selling around 1,400 heifers each November from his on-farm, pop-up sale barn. This year’s sale took place on the 19 November.

Throughout the preceding year, Dallas stringently monitors the well-being and performance of his heifers. They are served to calve at two years – the norm in the USA.

Some won’t make it to sale. Health problems, infertility, bad temperament, poor growth rates, scanning with twins; all of these are automatic red flags. Animals ticking these boxes are not sold in his ‘Future Focused Replacement Sale’.

Birth weight

This year’s sale was the 23rd such on Dallas’ ranch.

“We use easy calving sires with sub-76lb (<35kg) birth weights. These cattle are going to be mainstays in your herds. They’re like pets, you’ll be able to walk right up and touch them," Dallas said, addressing the crowd before the sale.

“The groups are perfect. We pulled one out there this morning, she had a slightly swollen foot – only slightly, but I wouldn’t let her go. For guys like me, your trust is invaluable – there are no poor animals in this sale. You have my word – if you take a heifer home and she’s not right, you don’t own her.”

Trade was up and down on the day. Average price finished up just over $1,520 per head (€1,414) and it took around 1.5 hours to clear the 1,390 cattle.

Dallas would have paid $850-950 a head for this year’s incoming batch.

At present, USA beef price is comparable with ours.

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