The Bourbon County Livestock Improvement Association Elite Heifer Sale was started in 1991 to help smaller producers come together to market their cattle. These cattle are bred heifers that are due to calve in the spring that must pass strenuous standards in order to qualify for the sale. Records are kept on each heifer that include AI and natural breeding dates, breed, vaccination history, and body conditioning scores were collected along with hands on help tagging each heifer. Special attention is paid to marketing resources and producer-client relationships to ensure a good buyer turnout for the sale. Producers are educated on different marketing tools that could be utilized for increased awareness of the cattle they have available for sale. Conversations with ANR Agent Lindsay Arthur and producers during this time will allow them to implement techniques in the future to increase the value of their heifers.  As an agent, these hands on events are one of the best ways to build relationships and trust with clientele. It is a learning and growing process for both Extension personnel and producers each year 

Due to the efforts from the producers and Extension staff from the Bourbon County office, the sale had a very successful year. The sale took place on November 4, 2024 and the producers sold a total of 281 heifers grossing $714,500 for an average of $3,065 per head. This is an increase in average price per head of $948 from last years sale.