Feeder Lambs Firm, Fat Prices Mixed
There was a little firmness in the feeder lamb market this week. The available supply is about gone, either sold or still owned and moved into feedlots. Most fat lambs sold steady, with Midwest markets as much as $5 higher, and San Angelo as much as $4 lower. Slaughter ewes were steady on Midwest markets and firm to $2 higher in San Angelo.

Plains Fed Cattle Movement Yet To Crank Up At Midweek
Plains feedlots and packers were several dollars apart at midweek as would-be buyers attempted to peel even more money off the struggling market and their counterparts sought to shore it up.

Texas Slaughter Goat Prices Mostly Lower In Latest Sales
Slaughter goats at most Texas markets were $2-5 lower this week, with San Angelo $5-7 off.

PLAINS FEEDLOT SALES

RANGE SALES

Spade Manager Talks Alliances At Recent Beef 20-20 Meeting
Spade Ranches has been in the beef cattle business for well over a century now, and the owners and operators of the large working ranch are interested in continuing well into the next century.

House Bill Proposes To Ban Sales Of Any Downer Cattle
Injured cattle are being spared a trip to the slaughterhouse. McDonald's and other hamburger chains no longer will buy beef from cattle unable to walk. Neither will the government, which supplies meat to schools.

Researchers Studying Salt In Cattle Feedlot Rations
Feedlot manure value maybe enhanced by reducing dietary salt levels, say Colorado State University researchers.

Activists Want End To Mormon Land Hunts
An animal rights group is asking Mormon church President Gordon B. Hinckley to end the practice of hunting on the church's ranches.

Range Beef Cattle Symposium Set For Wyoming In December
Range Beef Cow Symposium XVII is scheduled Dec. 11, 12 and 13 here. The agenda for the morning of Tuesday, Dec. 11, includes discussions of industry issues by Chuck Schroeder of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association; Ron Mitchell of the Wyoming Department of Agriculture; Wendy Radakovich, U.S. Meat Export Federation; Doc Hatfield, Oregon Country Beef; Charlie Peters, Laura's Lean Beef; Larry Corah, Certified Angus Beef; and Dave True, Future Beef.

Lugar Farm Bill Proposal Faces Criticism From Large Operations
Sen. Dick Lugar's proposal to phase out federal crop subsidies, a plan praised by the White House, has come under fire from Indiana farmers who rely on subsidies for a large portion of their income.

Test Kits Don’t Detect Both Types Of Roundup-Ready Corn
A corn researcher and officials from a chemical company are warning farmers and grain elevators during this harvest season that testing kits for a type of genetically modified corn don't rapidly detect it.

Decline In Cattle, Beef Prices Attributed To Terrorist Attack
Uncertainty is being blamed for a lower cattle market over the past month. The three to four dollar per hundredweight decline to $66 cwt. in the fed cattle market is a response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, says Dan Murphy with meatingplace.com, an Internet news service.

IBP, Striking Workers Reach Agreement To Bring Some Back
Some striking employees are expected to go back to work this week after IBP offered an agreement brokered by the local Catholic diocese and representatives from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Justice Department.

W. Texas Aquifers Subject Of Meeting
The Texas Water Development Board is conducting a conference on West Texas aquifers in December.

NM Forest Service Personnel Among Twin Towers Rescuers
Within hours of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, five New Mexicans were on their way to New York.

Ecos Plan Big Suit Over ESA Listings
Radical environmental groups are planning to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over what they claim is the federal agency's lack of action to protect "endangered" species in the southwestern United States.

Food Safety Concerns Emerging In Aftermath Of Terror Attack
A new device developed by government scientists to detect microscopic bits of manure on beef carcasses could soon make meat safer.

Wyoming May Change Stance On Funding Wolf Management
The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission plans to reconsider its decision not to spend money in preparation for taking over wolf management from the federal government, says the department’s director.

Colorado Sheep Producers Form Value-Added Woolen Operation
Thanks to a state rural economic development grant, a locally-owned value-added company is taking advantage of its location here in an upscale resort town.

Corruption, Battle Over Turf Stall Kenya Animal Health Push
In a country where corruption is high, livestock projects suffer even when funds from donor agencies are available.

TCE Master Marketer Training Scheduled
The Texas Cooperative Extension's Master Marketer education program is scheduled here in January, says Dr. Steve Amosson, Extension farm management economist here.

Wolf Recovery Scheme In East Stirring Heavy Controversy
They've been controversial in Wyoming and Montana. They've been controversial in New Mexico and Arizona. Now, the reintroduction of wolves is controversial in New England.

Questionaire Tests Knowledge Of Texas Deer As Season Opens
Will Rogers reckoned that "everybody’s ignorant, just on different subjects." Now that deer season is fast approaching, let’s see how much you know about Texas’ most popular big game animal. A survey of Texas third graders done awhile back revealed that 62 percent thought the white-tailed deer was an endangered species in Texas! 

Judge Halts Desert Grazing Ban Imposed By Federal BLM
A judge has temporarily lifted the grazing ban for eight Mojave Desert cattle ranchers ordered off nearly 500,000 acres of land last month, ostensibly to protect the endangered desert tortoise.

Senate Approves Ag Spending Legislation
The Senate voted 91-5 Thursday to pass a $73.9 billion spending bill that is slightly less than President Bush requested for agriculture, nutrition programs and the Food and Drug Administration.

Nation’s Feeder Cattle Prices Lower As Grass Growth Declines
Feeder cattle and calf prices continued their downward trends across the country last week. Yearling feeder cattle sold steady to $2 lower, steer and heifer calves $2-5 lower. Prices were as much as $10 lower in some areas, including the Southeast, where producers are scrambling to sell before the market gets any worse. Discounts in the southern states turned especially harsh on cattle with too much ear and/or color.

Smith And Ohl Tie World Record At Copenhagen Cup Rodeo Finale
Stran Smith of Tell, Texas, and Cody Ohl of Stephenville, Texas, roped and tied their calves in lightning-fast speed, tying the world calf roping record at the recent Copenhagen Cup Finale presented by the Texas Stampede at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Nation’s Fed Cattle Prices Off Last Week; Supplies Backing Up
Slaughter cattle traded $1 lower last week on a live basis and $2 lower dressed.

Angelo Feeder Lambs Firm, Cattle Lower
Feeder lambs sold firm this week, slaughter lambs weak to $4 lower, slaughter ewes firm to $2 higher; nanny goats were weak to $2 lower and kids $5-7 lower. Receipts totaled 12,785 head in a two day sale, around 55 percent slaughter ewes, 15 percent slaughter lambs, five percent feeder lambs and 25 percent goats.

Livestock Exports To Mexico 12,941 Head
There were 12,941 livestock exported to Mexico the week ending October 13. Total numbers for the year to date are down 18 percent from a year ago.

Goldthwaite Lambs Steady, Goats Lower
Slaughter lambs sold steady, feeder lambs untested; stock and feeder goats were $8-10 lower, slaughter goats $2-3 lower. Receipts totaled 2290 head.

Texas Imports 18,000 Cattle, Exports 2451
Texas imported 18,000 feeder cattle from Mexico last week and exported 2451 slaughter cattle to Mexico.

Junction Sheep, Goats Sell Mostly Steady
All classes of sheep and goats sold mostly steady. Receipts totaled 3813 head.

Colorado City Feeder Cattle Prices Higher
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady to $3 higher, slaughter cows $1-3 lower, bulls steady, stock cows steady. Receipts totaled 696 head.

Most Fredericksburg Cattle Prices Lower
Feeder steers and heifers sold $2-4 lower, slaughter cows and bulls $4 lower. Receipts totaled 2070 head.

Domestic Wool Slow, Aussie Wools Higher
Domestic wool trading remains at a virtual standstill. Demand was light for limited available fall supplies.

Milano Feeder Steers, Heifers Trend Higher
Feeder steers sold steady to firm with 600-700 pounds steady to $2 higher, heifers steady to $3 higher, slaughter cows $1-1.50 lower, bulls $1-2 lower. Receipts totaled 1015 head.

Hamilton Feeder Steer, Heifer Prices Decline
Feeder steers sold $1-4 lower, heifers steady to $3 lower, slaughter cows $1-3 lower, bulls $1-2 lower, stock cows and pairs $25 higher. Receipts totaled 501 head. Sheep and goat receipts Wednesday, October 24 were 728 head.

Kansas Direct Feeder Steers, Heifers Lower
Feeder steers sold $1-2 lower in Kansas direct trade last week, heifers $1-3 lower. The weather was cool with no moisture. Sales were confirmed on 9968 head.

Llano Feeder Steer, Heifer Prices Higher
Feeder steers sold steady to $2 higher, heavyweight heifers $2-3 higher, lighter weights steady, slaughter cows and bulls steady. Receipts totaled 516 head.

U.S. Meat Production 1.2% Below A Year Ago
Total red meat production under federal inspection last week was estimated at 929.3 million pounds, .4 percent less than a week earlier and 1.2 percent less than a year ago. Cumulative meat production for the year to date was down 2.2 percent at 36.9 billion pounds.

Cuero Choice Feeder Cattle Prices Steady
Choice feeder steers and heifers sold steady, lower grades $2-3 lower, slaughter cows and bulls $2 lower. Receipts totaled 1881 head.

Producers Internet Offers 1650 Feeders
Producers Internet Auction offered 1650 feeder steers and heifers from Florida, Texas and Mississippi. Delivery was mostly current to December.

Graham Feeder Steer, Heifer Prices Higher
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady to $2 higher, the advance on weights under 400 pounds, slaughter cows and bulls $1-3 lower, stock cows and pairs $10-20 higher. Receipts totaled 1622 head.

Letters To The Editor

Loose Ends

Coming Up...
November 2 — Superior Livestock Auction Satellite Video Auction, Fort Worth, Texas. November 6 — Premium Stocker/Feeder Sale, Abilene Livestock Auction, Abilene, Texas. November 7 — RR Ranch’s Angus Bull Sale, at the ranch, Nolan, Texas. November 7 — Cattleinfornet Internet Cattle Auction. November 7 — Special Stocker and Feeder Show and Sale, Union Stock Yards, San Antonio, Texas.