Lamb Prices Hold, Carcass Prices Off
Fat and feeder lamb prices held fairly steady across the country this week despite a sharp decline on carcasses. Slaughter ewes sold $2-4 higher.

Plains Feedlots Quiet After Sales Flurry Late Last Week
Plains fed cattle trade last week was delayed so long that it rolled over to Friday, meaning numbers were counted on this week's tally. As of midweek, those numbers had no fresh company as would-be buyers bid $67 and would-be sellers sought $70-71.

PLAINS FEEDLOT SALES

RANGE SALES

Pelt Market Seeing Improvement; Challenge Now To Clean Up Keds
"I don’t have great news, but it's a whole lot better than the wool business." That was the message delivered by pelt company representative Richard Grossman to sheep producers at the recent American Sheep Industry Association annual meeting here.

NM Range Professor Contends Brush Occupying, Not Invading
Range deterioration is not a matter of shrubs invading grasslands, says Sandy Dick-Preddie. It's a matter of shrubs and weeds filling in open sites where something has happened to damage the grass that once was there.

Prepping Wool For Sale Getting More Binding
As the new sharing season begins, producers are faced with some major decisions in their preparation and handling of wool.

Feds, Grazing Associations Dispute Records Requirement
North Dakota's two largest grazing associations have violated contracts with the Forest Service by refusing for more than a year to turn over records, the agency contends. The grazing associations dispute that contention.

Clinton Administration Touts New Agriculture Subsidy Plan
The Clinton administration is proposing new farm subsidies that would take effect when commodity prices are low.

Beef Industry Was Profitable During 1999 As Demand Improved
The trend is looking up for cattle producers, and for a change all segments made a little money last year. So said a team of Cattle-Fax analysts at the recent National Cattlemen's Beef Association annual meeting here.

Tiny New Mexico Community Ground Zero In War On West
There is a war waging in the West, and Glenwood, N.M., is one of the battlegrounds. As with most wars, the reasons behind it are complex and often convoluted by historical precedents and hidden agendas.

After Feasting On Beef, Feds' Wolves Take Pets For Dessert
While the demand for beef is up in Catron County among a pack of reintroduced Mexican gray wolves, at least one has developed a taste for pets.

Ranchers, Eco-Activists Join To Fight Military Over Flights
Ranchers and environmental activists in Nevada and eight other states are banding together to sue the Defense Department to halt low-level military training flights they say harm livestock, fish and wildlife.

Magazine Forecasts Recovery In Oil Exploration Activity
The oil industry should enjoy rather typical exploration and production activity in 2000 after riding a two-year boom-and-bust roller-coaster, according a trade magazine forecast released Friday.

Frito Lay Refusing To Take Bio-Tech Corn From Growers
In a move that has angered farm groups but pleased some environmental activists, giant snack maker Frito-Lay Inc. is telling its suppliers not to use genetically altered corn.

Wool Buyers Stress Importance Of Quality On Depressed Market
It wasn't new news to sheep producers that the wool market is in a depressed state. But that was basically the gist of remarks made by a panel of wool buyers at the recent annual meeting of the American Sheep Industry Association here.

Spooky Horses, Amorous Llamas Unfortunate Combination On Ice
In the language of cowboy, there are several ways to describe different situations. I know this simply because I have been in several situations.

Sean Culver Takes Home Biggest Check At National Western
Bareback rider Sean Culver of Grandview, Wash., turned heads at the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo in Denver when he rode three horses for 253 points to claim the average title and the largest check of the rodeo — $13,571.

Nation’s Feeder Cattle Prices Continued To Decline Last Week
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady to $3 lower around the country last week, though some places sharply reduced offerings, spurring trends steady to $2 higher, notably in the Southeast.

Texas Fed Cattle Trade Almost At A Standstill Last Week
Slaughter steers and heifers were not well tested last week, only 6300 head moving on the cash trade through Thursday. Around 5000 head sold the previous Friday at $69-69.25, then trade remained at a standstill until 1600 head moved Thursday at $68.

Superior Livestock Video Sale Offering Totals 70,000 Cattle
Superior Livestock Auction offered nearly 70,000 feeder cattle and breeding stock in their Cattleman’s Winter Classic video sale here. Compared to the last auction, feeder steers sold $2-4 lower, heifers $1-2 lower. Delivery is mostly current through July.

Lampasas Feeder Steer, Heifer Prices Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady, slaughter cows 50 cents to $1 lower, bulls steady. Receipts totaled 1220 head.

Lightweight Kansas Feeder Steers Higher
Feeder steers weighing 350-500 pounds sold $3-5 higher last week in Kansas direct trade, 700-850 pounds steady to $2 lower, heifers mostly steady on light receipts. Sales were confirmed on 3692 head. Most of the state received some type of moisture; snow in the southern portion ranged up to eight inches.

San Saba, Brownwood, Mason Feeders Strong
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady to strong last week in Mason, Brownwood and San Saba, roping calves $3-6 higher, slaughter cows and bulls steady to $2 higher, pairs and bred stock cows steady. Receipts at the three sales totaled 2701 head.

Texas Goat Numbers Now Outstrip Sheep
Texas goats now officially outnumber the state's sheep by 100,000 head. The numbers at the beginning of last year were the same at 1.35 million head.

Cattle Count Off One Percent For The Year At 98 Million
All cattle and calves in the United States as of Jan. 1 totaled an estimated 98 million head, down one percent from the revised figure of 99.1 million for the same date last year and two percent below the 1998 total of 99.7 million.

U.S. Meat Production 2.9% Below A Year Ago
Total red meat production under federal inspection last week was estimated at 873.2 million pounds, 2.9 percent less than a week earlier and one percent below a year ago. Cumulative meat production for the year to date was down 5.3 percent at 3.57 billion pounds.

U.S. Sheep Inventory Continues To Decline; Down 38% From 1990
The January 1, 2000 U.S. sheep inventory at 7.03 million head was no surprise at three percent less than a year ago and 38 percent below 10 years ago. The inventory has been in an erratic but somewhat steady decline since 1942 when numbers peaked at 56.2 million head.

Most Junction Sheep, Goat Prices Higher
Feeder lambs sold steady to $2 higher, slaughter lambs untested, slaughter ewes steady to $2 higher, stock ewes steady to 2 higher; Angora goats $4-6 higher except thin nannies steady; slaughter Spanish goats mostly steady, kids $2-4 higher. Receipts totaled 2704 head.

Angelo Feeder Lambs Firm, Cattle Weak
Feeder lambs sold firm in a light test this week, slaughter lambs steady and slaughter ewes $2-4 higher. Receipts totaled 8387 head, around 45 percent slaughter ewes, 15 percent slaughter lambs, five percent feeder lambs and 35 percent goats. Receipts totaled 8387 head.

Milano Feeder Steers, Heifers, Cows Higher
Feeder steers and heifers sold $2-3 higher, slaughter cows $2-3 higher, bulls scarce. Receipts totaled 515 head.

Graham Feeder Steers Steady, Heifers Rise
Feeder steers sold steady, heifers steady to $2 higher, slaughter cows $1.50-2 higher, bulls $1 higher, bred stock cows fully steady to $20 higher, cows with calves $20 higher. Receipts totaled 1454 head.

Most Goldthwaite Sheep, Goats Higher
Feeder and slaughter lambs sold $3-5 higher, slaughter ewes $3-5 higher; slaughter goats $5-10 higher, billies steady. Receipts totaled 2154 head.

Colorado City Feeder Steers, Heifers Lower
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady to $2 lower, slaughter cows steady to $1 higher, bulls steady, bred stock cows weak, pairs steady. Receipts totaled 385 head.

Llano Feeder Steers, Heifers Move Higher
Feeder steers and heifers sold $2-5 higher, slaughter cows $4 higher, bulls steady. Receipts totaled 374 head.

Texas Wool, Mohair Down Sharply In 1999
Fewer sheep and lambs shorn in 1999 along with lower wool prices pushed the value of the state’s wool production down 33 percent to $3.9 million.

Abilene Cattle Prices Called Mostly Higher
Feeder steers and heifers sold $1-3 higher, slaughter cows and bulls $2 higher, stock cows $30-40 higher, pairs steady to $20 higher. Receipts totaled 1260 head.

Most Fredericksburg Feeder Cattle Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold $2 higher, slaughter cows and bulls steady. Receipts totaled 1610 head.

Domestic Wool Slow, Aussie Wools Lower
Wool trading was at a standstill across the country last week, demand and seller interest remaining light. Weather across many states delayed spring shearing.

Loose Ends

Coming Up...
February 5 — All-Breed Bull Sale, Rio Grand Classic, El Paso, Texas. February 5 — Bradley 3 Ranch Limited’s Bull Sale, at the ranch, Memphis, Texas. February 10 — Special Female Offering, Jordan Cattle Auction, San Saba, Texas.