Lamb Meat Steady, Live Up And Down
East Coast lamb carcasses held steady last week, though cutout values moved higher. Live lambs were highly mixed, from sharply higher to sharply lower.

Panhandle Fed Cattle Sellers, Buyers $4-5 Apart At Midweek
Plains feedlots and packers were $4-5 apart on price at midweek, bids coming in at $70 and asking prices $74-75.

PLAINS FEEDLOT SALES

RANGE SALES

Valley Sugar Co-op Expecting Biggest Production Year Ever
Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers Inc., a farmer-owned cooperative, processes about 1.5 million tons of cane annually. That translates into 100,000 tons of raw sugar and 45,000 tons of blackstrap molasses.

New U.S. Agriculture Policy Delayed By Unsettled Election
We hope everyone had a pleasant Thanksgiving holiday and that we have elected a new President by the time you read this. The recent election gridlock, together with the very close election, probably means that new farm policy legislation, which has been the umbilical cord to survival in agriculture since 1996 when the current bill was enacted, may take a back seat to more pressing and politically volatile issues. The new administration will first spend time selecting a cabinet and then crafting a game plan as to how to accomplish promised goals.

Activists Sue Arizona Officials Over Sales Of State Trust Land
A coalition of five environmental activist groups is suing Arizona Gov. Jane Hull and Land Commissioner Michael Anable over sales of state land.

Texas House Ag Committee Head Outlines Legislative Program
There is a bumper sticker on a file cabinet in David Swinford's office at the Dumas Co-op. It reads, "All I want for Christmas is lower taxes and less government."

Ecos' Habitat Lawsuits Backfire; Feds Put Species List On Hold
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says it can't add more wildlife to the endangered species list this year because it has to spend so much time and money defending lawsuits from environmentalists.

NM Cattle Growers Disputing Story That Downplays Eco Suits
The New Mexico Cattle Growers' Association says a recent Wall Street Journal article contains comments that are inaccurate and misleading.

Family Suing Farm Over E.Coli They Claim Daughter Got There
A New Jersey couple has filed suit against the Merrymead Farm in Worcester and the Montgomery County Health Department over an E. coli outbreak they say put their daughter in the hospital.

Ecos Seek To Dominate Southwest Jaguar Plan
The Jaguar Scientific Advisory Group is not recommending the reintroduction of jaguars to the Southwest.

"Mad Cow" Fears Prod EU Into Test Frenzy
European Union farm ministers decided last week to begin testing cattle more than 30 months old for "mad cow" disease, a major increase in testing that attempts to counter growing concerns about the disease.

High-Nitrate Weeds Blamed In Cow Deaths
It was a toxic weed that killed 30 head of cattle near here last month, not aliens.

USDA Releasing Flies As Latest Weapon In War Against Fire Ants
The South's newest weapon against the dreaded fire ant sounds like something out of a sci-fi thriller: An insect whose larvae eat the heads off their prey.

Linderman Award Goes To Jesse Bail, Finals To Begin Dec. 1
Jesse Bail has gotten off to a great start as a professional rodeo cowboy.

Nation’s Feeder Cattle Trade Takes Thanksgiving Holiday
The feeder cattle trade had its usual seasonal low profile in honor of Thanksgiving last week. Many auctions were closed and most trading was put on the back burner. Too few sales were reported to fully establish price trends.

Texas Fed Cattle Move Higher During Turkey Feast Week
Slaughter steers and heifers sold $1 higher in Texas Panhandle and Western Oklahoma feedlot trading during the holiday-shortened period last week. Trading was slow to moderate the previous Friday and then slow until Wednesday, when the bulk of trading took place.

Angelo Feeder Lambs Weak, Fats Lower
Feeder lambs sold weak in a light test, slaughter lambs $2-5 lower, slaughter ewes weak; goats were firm to instances $5 higher. Two day receipts totaled 10,189 head, around five percent feeder lambs, 15 percent slaughter lambs, 60 percent slaughter ewes and 20 percent goats.

Fredericksburg Lambs Goats Trend Higher
Feeder lambs sold $3-5 higher, slaughter lambs $8-10 higher; stock and feeder goats $5-8 higher, slaughter $8-10 higher. Receipts totaled 2611 head.

U.S. Meat Production 2.7% Above A Year Ago
Total red meat production under federal inspection last week was estimated at 799.5 million pounds, 10.5 percent less than a week earlier and 2.7 percent more than a year ago. Cumulative meat production for the year to date was down .1 percent at 211.9 billion pounds.

October Meat, Beef Set Record Highs
Commercial red meat production in October for the United States totaled 4.1 billion pounds, up two percent from October 1999 and up slightly less than two percent from the previous record high for October set in 1998.

Kansas Direct Feeder Cattle Prices Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold mostly steady Thanksgiving week. The weather was moisture-free with temperatures in the 50s. Sales were confirmed on 2582 head.

Meat In Cold Storage 12% Above A Year Ago
The total supply of U.S. red meat in freezers on October 31, at 870.3 million pounds, was 12 percent above a year ago and two percent above September 30, 2000.

Graham Feeder Steer, Heifer Prices Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady, slaughter cows and bulls 50 cents to $1 lower, stock cows and pairs steady. Receipts totaled 1370 head.

Domestic Wool Slow, Aussie Wools Lower
Domestic wool trading remained very slow last week and at a standstill in many areas. Demand was light to moderate, best on fine wools for the felting trade.

Most Hamilton Cattle Prices Termed Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady, slaughter cows and bulls steady, stock cows and pairs steady. Receipts totaled 951 head.

Milano Feeder Steers Mixed, Heifers Steady
Feeder steers were steady except 500-600 pounds $3-5 higher, heifers steady, slaughter cows and bulls steady. Receipts totaled 1142 head.

Most Junction Goat Prices Called Higher
Spanish kids sold $3-7 higher, nannies and billies steady to $4 higher, Angora nannies $3-10 higher, muttons $2-5 higher. Receipts totaled 2207 head.

Llano Feeder Steers Steady, Heifers Mixed
Feeder steers sold steady, heifers mostly steady, weights under 450 pounds $2-4 lower, slaughter cows and bulls steady. Receipts totaled 750 head.

Loose Ends

Letters To The Editor

Coming Up...
November 30 — Special Bull Offering, Jordan Cattle Auction, San Saba, Texas. November 30 — Producer’s Video Auction, Fort Worth, Texas. December 1-2 — Winter Horse Sale, Roswell Livestock Auction, Roswell, New Mexico.