OKEMOS, Mich. – The Michigan Cattlemen’s Assoc. (MCA) is getting ready to hold its first all online Michigan Beef Expo and Virtual Trade Show.

The show is being presented by Great Lakes Sire Service and is a sponsor of the event, whereas Breeders World is hosting the sales for a fee. Cattlemen and women have the opportunity to purchase top quality seedstock in the online auctions hosted by Breeders World, according to George Quackenbush, MCA executive vice president. “Last year the sales were virtual, because the restrictions were put into place several weeks before the Michigan Beef Expo,” Quackenbush explained. “Planning for this began last August, but unfortunately there was no way to guarantee an in-person event, so the board decided late November to hold a virtual trade show.”

Last year’s trade show was canceled altogether. The Michigan State University Pavilion – the usual venue for this event – is currently being used as a COVID-19 vaccination site. “As an organization we are doing our best with the hand we’ve been dealt,” Quackenbush added, referring to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s now year-long sweeping prohibitions on in-person gatherings of all kinds, first issued as executive orders and, later, as state health department orders after the state supreme court ruled her executive orders unconstitutional.

“Breeders World has made it so we can do this online this year,” Quackenbush added. “It’s providing an avenue for these breeders to come together. It’s the largest event for the industry in Michigan. We try hard to make this a celebration for cattle breeders in the state of Michigan.”

Cattle breeders from across the region will be offering their genetics in several online sales hosted by Breeders World, an online auction house based in Bellevue, Ohio. The 2021 sales will include an all-breed bull sale, a Simmental female sale and an all-breed female sale. Catalogs featuring detailed descriptions, photos and video of each bull and female will be posted to the Breeders World web site on March 15. Sales will be live for two weeks and will close on March 28. Direct links to all the sales can be found at www.micattlemen.org/michigan-beef-expo.

“Last year, the Michigan Beef Expo, hosted by Breeders World, grossed over $167,000,” said Michigan Beef Expo committee Chairman Brian Decker in a press release. “While we are unable to hold a traditional in-person Expo, we know this format offers a reliable marketing opportunity that delivers value to Michigan’s seedstock breeders and commercial cattlemen.”

The online trade show is a chance for cattlemen and women to interact with companies that provide products and services to the industry year after year. They can be found at www.micattlemen.org/michigan-beef-expo and within each of the cattle sale pages. By clicking on the vendor’s ad, viewers can get the latest offer and information from trusted vendors and agribusinesses. For more information, contact the MCA at info@micattlemen.org or (517) 347-8117.