I used to buy heifers from the stockyards, winter and breed them either AI or natural, and sell them at a graded bred heifer sale. They were bred to registered calving ease bulls, and pelvic measured prior to breeding. Usually out of a group of around 30, there would be 1 or 2 a year culled out after the spring working, the pelvic measuring would pick up on if they were to small in that regard or not developed right. Over the years of doing that program, I've kept back a few that did not make the final cut for one reason or another, maybe a small blue spot in an eye, or not quite enough frame etc. Have brought back home a few one year, and kept a random half of them to build our herd the last year that we were part of the sale. They have most all went on to make good cows. Happened to see the sale rep for the heifer sale the other day, and he talked like he would like for us to be a part of the sale again, so that tells me that the feedback from our heifers has been mostly positive, which would be consistent with what I have heard first hand from folks I know that have bought our heifers.
I have tried a few different times to venture into registered cattle. Admittedly, I'm not into buying high dollar heavily promoted high selling lots, and one should not have to do that in order to put together a respectable quality herd. I gave up and focused on building up the commercial herd. Most of the registered cattle, did not meet our needs or hold up. We bought 4 registered Hereford heifers, at a regional registered sale. All are gone within 5 years, and 2 should have been gone sooner for not calving regular.
Just because an animal is purchased from a well respected farm or a registered breeder does not necessarily make them superior to an animal purchased at a regular day at the stockyards.