Sheep, Lamb Prices Find Some Strength
For the most part, sheep and lamb prices were steady this week, though some strength could be seen in the Midwest markets and on feeder lambs in Billings.

Plains Fed Cattle Bring $63, But Trade Light At Midweek
Plains feedlots had sold a few cattle through midafternoon Wednesday at $63 or the equivalent, but most lots were still holding for $64 at presstime.

Slaughter Kid Goat Prices Mostly Lower Across Texas
Kid goats going for slaughter were weak to $5 lower in San Angelo and Fredericksburg this week. Other classes were steady.

PLAINS FEEDLOT SALES

RANGE SALES

Bill Craft Says Clarendon Ranch Country Hard To Beat
The Craft family has been farming and ranching in the Texas Panhandle for the last 100 or so years. Likewise, the Texas Panhandle has been home to Bill Craft most of his life. And in his opinion, it's a country that is awfully hard to beat.

Garden City Feedyard Showcases FBO Expansion; Shipments Grow
It was just two years ago that Garden City Feed Yard ran 60 head of cattle on cornstalks on a 320-acre field adjacent to the existing feedyard. Today that same field is set to become home to 55,000 head of cattle.

Researcher Thinks He May Have Begun Chronic Wasting Disease
Gene Schoonveld, a state Division of Wildlife biologist, believes a nutritional study he conducted with deer, sheep and goats in the late 1960s might have been the genesis of chronic wasting disease.

Ohl Beats Whitfield In Matched Calf Roping At San Angelo Fiesta
Saturday was Cody Ohl's day. The Stephenville cowboy won both the matched calf roping and the invitational jackpot in Saturday's portion of the San Angelo Roping Fiesta.

Food Safety Concerns Increase In Wake Of Terrorist Attacks
Senate Democrats want to spend more than $700 million to hire hundreds of new inspectors and take other measures to protect farms and food from terrorist attack.

Eco-Radicals Continue Terror Attacks Despite September 11
Environmental radicals have claimed responsibility for at least five acts of sabotage over the past two months, showing they are not going to let the nation's terrorism scare stand in their way.

Meat Goats Finding Reception Good Among Stockmen In Texas
As range conditions in Texas deteriorate due to lack of rainfall and the approaching winter, meat goats continue to do well due to their adaptive nature, Texas Cooperative Extension reports.

Harkin Ag Bill Plan Boosts Conservation, Some Subsidies
The chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee wants to set up two new subsidy programs for farmers and double spending on conservation programs over the next decade.

Tests On Colorado Elk Pending To Detect BSE-Like Condition
Officials are awaiting tests on nine ranch-raised elk and more than 50 wild deer and elk killed in Colorado.

Klamath Water Cutoff Dispute Finally Gets Scientific Look
The chairman of a National Academy of Sciences panel reviewing the government's decision to withhold water from farms in the Klamath Basin hopes it can help soothe the emotional dispute.

USDA Hiring Veterinarians To Oversee Packing Plants
The government is hiring veterinarians around the country to make sure slaughterhouses are treating livestock humanely, following accusations from the fast-food industry and animal rights groups.

Judge Rules Wild Horses To Go, Radicals Bombing To Keep Them
Bureau of Land Management officials broke the rules when they released 80 wild horses near Vernal, and the animals will have to be removed, a federal judge ruled.

Eco-Activists Oppose State Plan To Boost Water Supplies
A proposed $17 billion statewide water plan to meet Texas' needs over the next 50 years is a taxpayer ``boondoggle'' that could be better addressed by stricter conservation instead of new reservoirs, environmental activists claimed late last week.

White House Wants Careful Farm Bill Action; Dems Advise Haste
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said Friday there will be enough federal money for an overhaul of farm programs, even if it is not approved until next year.

Conservation Payment Touted For Ag Bill
A former congressman was on the stump, but not to get his seat back.

Grizzly Kills Hunter In Western Montana
A wildlife management area in the mountains of western Montana was closed last week after authorities discovered the body of a hunter apparently killed by a grizzly bear.

New England Bunnies Subject Of Concern
Furry little creatures no longer have to be listed as endangered for government to worry about them.

U.S. To Buy Asian Wheat For Afghans
Concerned about the food shortage in Afghanistan, the United States has decided to fund some purchases of wheat from central Asian sources, rather than U.S. farmers.

Ag Trade Said Key To Next WTO Talks
A new round of global trade talks could mean billions of dollars a year in higher exports of U.S. crops and food, if the negotiations result in lower tariffs and subsidies, Bush administration officials said Friday.

Anti-Grazing Groups Still Gaining Ground
A U.S. Forest Service appeals officer is upholding a radical environmental group's claim that the federal agency violated the law in allowing grazing on Forest Service allotments.

Cash Myers Survives Finals Cut In Two Events, But Just Barely
The final week of professional rodeo's season always brings drama. This year was no different as Cash Myers of Athens, Texas, moved into 15th place and Wrangler NFR qualification in steer wrestling by earning $971 in Kansas City, Mo., and $951 in San Francisco over the weekend. Myers beat out 16th place finisher Chad Hagan of Leesville, La., by $75.

Nation’s Fed Cattle Trade About Stymied Last Week; Few Steady
Slaughter steers and heifers sold steady across the country in a limited test last week.

Superior Livestock Video Sale Offering Totals 24,500 Cattle
Superior Livestock Auction offered more than 24,500 feeder cattle and bred stock cows in their regularly scheduled video sale. Yearling steers and heifers sold fully steady, calves steady to $2 higher. Consignments were from 20 states.

Nation’s Feeder Cattle Uneven Last Week, But Generally Off
Feeder cattle price trends across the country last week were fairly uneven, but the market was generally $1-2 lower.

Angelo Lambs Steady, Feeder Cattle Higher
All classes of sheep sold steady this week, nanny goats steady, kids weak to $3 lower. Two day receipts totaled 13,337 head, around 55 percent slaughter ewes, 15 percent slaughter lambs, five percent feeder lambs and 25 percent goats.

Fredericksburg Feeder Steers, Heifers Higher
Feeder steers sold $1-2 higher, heifers $1-3 higher, slaughter cows and bulls strong. Receipts totaled 1537 head.

San Saba, Brownwood, Mason Feeders Mixed
Feeder steers sold steady last week in Mason, Brownwood and San Saba, heifers steady to $1 higher, slaughter cows and bulls steady to $2 lower. Receipts totaled 3484 head at the three sales.

Colorado City Feeder Cattle Prices Higher
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady to $1 higher, slaughter cows steady to $1 higher, bulls $2 lower, stock cows $25 lower, pairs steady. Receipts totaled 910 head.

Most Decatur Cattle Prices Termed Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady, slaughter cows and bulls steady, stock cows and pairs steady. Receipts totaled 1264 head.

Milano Feeder Steers, Heifers Trade Lower
Feeder steers and heifers sold $2-3 lower, heifers $2-4 lower, slaughter cows steady to $1 higher, bulls steady. Receipts totaled 1056 head.

Most Abilene Cattle Prices Called Higher
Feeder steers and heifers sold $1-2 higher, slaughter cows and bulls steady to $1 higher, stock cows and pairs steady. Receipts totaled 1419 head.

Most Hamilton Cattle Move At Steady Rates
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady, slaughter cows and bulls steady, stock cows and pairs steady. Receipts totaled 413 head.

Fredericksburg Lambs Steady, Fat Goats Off
Slaughter lambs sold steady; stock and feeder goats $4-5 higher, slaughter goats $3-5 lower. Receipts totaled 2158 head.

Llano Cattle Prices Turn Mostly Lower
Feeder steers and heifers sold $2-4 lower, slaughter cows and bulls $1-3 lower. Receipts totaled 227 head.

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

U.S. Meat Production 1.8% Below A Year Ago
Total red meat production under federal inspection last week was estimated at 915.7 million pounds, 1.6 percent less than a week earlier and 1.8 percent less than a year ago. Cumulative meat production for the year to date was down 2.2 percent at 37.8 billion pounds.

Most Lampasas Steers, Heifers Move Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady, slaughter cows steady, bulls $2-3 lower. Receipts totaled 850 head.

Graham Feeder Steer, Heifer Trends Lower
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady to $1.50 lower, the decline on weights over 500 pounds, slaughter cows and a bulls steady to $1 higher, stock cows and pairs steady. Receipts totaled 1110 head.

Cuero Feeder Steers Higher, Heifers Hold
Feeder steers sold steady to $2 higher, heifers steady, slaughter cows $1-2 higher. Receipts totaled 1734 head.

Goldthwaite Lambs Weak, Fat Goats Steady
Slaughter lambs sold steady to weak; stock and feeder goats $2-3 higher, slaughter goats steady. Receipts totaled 1468 head.

Decatur Feeder Steer, Heifer Prices Higher
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady to $3 higher, some preconditioned steers considerably higher, slaughter cows and bulls steady to $1 lower. Receipts totaled 2001 head.

Loose Ends

Coming Up...
November 8 — Wehrmann-Donnell Registered Angus Bull Sale, Abilene Livestock Auction, Abilene, Texas. November 8 — Premium Weamed Stocker and Feeder Sale, Jordan Cattle Auction, San Saba, Texas. November 8 — Producers Video Auction’s Internet Sale, Fort Worth, Texas. November 8 — Superior Livestock Auction Internet Auction.