Fat Lambs Move Lower, Feeders Remain Scarce
Fat lambs moved weak to $5 lower as the major lamb-eating holiday of the year approaches. Feeder lambs were too limited for a test, but mostly about steady.

Plains Fed Cattle Trade Nil, Buyers And Sellers $2-3 Apart
Fresh on the heels of a trading victory last week, Plains feedlots were holding out for more money at presstime.

Texas Slaughter Goat Prices Decline Sharply This Week
Slaughter kid goat prices were $5-10 lower this week, losing most of last week’s advance; nannies were steady.

PLAINS FEEDLOT SALES

RANGE SALES

Rattler Handler Entertains, Teaches At Sweetwater Show
All eyes of the children — and most of the adults — are open wide, staring at the writhing rattlesnake in Rick Wilkinson's hands. There is an audible gasp from the audience as a rattlesnake on the floor strikes out at Wilkinson's thick black leather cowboy boots.

Aussies Use Multiple Methods To Increase Lamb Consumption
When the U.S. imposed tariffs on Australian lamb a couple of years ago, the Aussies reacted with an advertising campaign at home to move more product domestically.

Creditors File Petitions Forcing FBO Into Chapter 11
Turns out the rumors were true regarding the status of Future Beef Operations Inc. Sort of, anyway.

Veneman, Harkin Clash Over Farm Bill Spending Limits
The Senate's lead negotiator on a new farm bill complained that the Bush administration won't say how much it is willing to spend on subsidies over the next five years.

Farm Bill Conferees Nowhere Near Agreement Despite Work
A conference committee has been sorting through versions of the new farm bill for more than two weeks now, but it doesn't appear that a finished bill is near.

South Dakota Prairie Dog Plan Has Skeptics From Both Sides
Changes in South Dakota's prairie dog management plan are being accepted by the state's ranchers with cautious optimism. Radical environmentalists, however, say they may intensify their efforts to get the critters listed as "threatened" under the federal Endangered Species Act.

Utah Cattlemen Cry Foul Over BLM, Ecos’ Anti-Grazing Deal
A ranchers’ group has vowed to go to court to prevent further reductions in livestock grazing in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

USDA Raises Import Standards For Mexican Cattle April 1
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has raised health standards for importing Mexican feeder cattle to protect U.S. animals from tuberculosis, a bacterial infection that can cause lesions in the lungs, lymph nodes, or other internal organs.

Research Disproves Majority Of Willow Flycatcher Notions
The Southwest willow flycatcher should perhaps be renamed the box elder bee catcher.

Energy Bill Compromise Would Mandate More Use Of Ethanol
Bridging longtime differences between farm and oil interests, senators agreed late last week to triple the ethanol used in gasoline and to ban a fuel additive that has fouled drinking water.

Judge Okays $9 Million Payoff In Lawsuit Over Starlink Corn
A federal judge late last week approved a $9 million settlement in a lawsuit against a group of food companies over genetically modified corn that found its way into products on supermarket shelves.

Feds To Let Klamath Irrigation Water Flow; Fish Not In Peril
The federal government said last week it expects to deliver water this year to Klamath Basin farmers, unlike a year ago when irrigation was sharply curtailed to save water for officially "threatened" and "endangered" fish.

Pickens’ Water Group Proposes Partnership With Adversaries
Mesa Water has apparently come up with a new plan in which it might partner with an old adversary.

Anti-Grazing Book Due Out This Summer
A book, "Welfare Ranching: The Subsidized Destruction of the American West," published by the National Public Lands Grazing Campaign, is expected out this summer.

Nevada Cattlemen Pan Agreement With Feds
The Nevada Live Stock Association board of directors is criticizing Paul Iverson, director of the Nevada Department of Agriculture, for signing a cooperative agreement with the federal government that allows Nevada brand inspectors to issue transport permits for impounded cattle.

Plan Would Bag, Ship Water In California
An Alaskan businessman wants to take water from two small rivers as they flow into the Pacific Ocean near this Northern California coastal town and ship it south to San Diego.

Wildlife Camps Now Taking Applicants
The call is going out for enlistments into 2002's "Texas Brigades," a group of wildlife-oriented youth camps aimed at cadets 13-17 years old. The camps use bobwhite quail, white-tailed deer and wild turkey as vehicles to equip young people with communications skills and leadership development in an outdoor setting.

Victory In San Angelo Boosts Earnings Of All-Around Leader
Trevor Brazile of Anson, Texas, extended his lead in the PRCA all-around race after winning the calf roping title in San Angelo, Texas, last weekend. Brazile's season winnings to date total $37,243.

Nation’s Feeder Cattle Higher Last Week; Beef Demand Helped
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady to $2 higher across the country last week, instances $3-5 higher, The feeder market received strong support from the finished trade.

Superior Livestock Video Sale Offering Totals 34,000 Cattle
Superior Livestock Auction offered more than 34,000 feeder cattle in their regular video sale. Demand was good and trade active. Yearling feeders sold steady to $2 higher, calves steady.

Angelo Lambs, Goats Lower, Cattle Firm
This was the first significant showing of feeder lambs in several week and no price trends were quoted; slaughter lambs sold weak to $5 lower, slaughter ewes steady; nanny goats sold steady, kids $5-10 lower. Two day receipts totaled more than 20,000 head, around 35 percent slaughter lambs, 25 percent feeder lambs, 25 percent slaughter ewes and 15 percent goats.

Cuero Feeder Steers, Heifers Sell Mixed
Feeder steers sold mixed, some higher, some lower, slaughter cows $1.50-2 higher. Receipts totaled 1315 head.

Abilene Feeder Steer, Heifer Prices Higher
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady to $1 higher, slaughter cows and bulls $1 lower, stock cows and pairs $10-20 lower. Receipts totaled 1487 head.

Most Milano Cattle Prices Move Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady, slaughter cows and bulls steady. Receipts totaled l740 head.

eMerg/CattleinfoNet Offers 8600 Cattle
eMerg/CattleinfoNet offered 8600 feeder cattle on Internet auction from 12 states. Delivery was current through May.

Colorado City Feeder Cattle Prices Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady, slaughter cows $2-4 higher, bulls steady, stock cows $25 lower, pairs steady to weak. Receipts totaled 1696 head.

Fredericksburg Feeder Lambs, Goats Lower
Feeder lambs sold $3-5 lower, lightweight slaughter lambs $2-3 higher, heavyweights $3-5 lower; stock goats $3-5 lower, slaughter $8-10 lower. Receipts totaled 5362 head.

Hamilton Cattle Trend Termed Steady Tuesday
All classes of cattle sold steady on receipts of 687 head. Lambs sold $3-6 higher on Wednesday, March 6, ewes $2-5 higher, nanny goats lower, kids $3-7 higher, Barbados steady. Receipts totaled 1175 head.

Domestic Wool Slow, Aussie Wools Higher
Domestic wool trading turned slow the past 10 days, due mostly to producers taking a "wait and see" position in regard to the wool segment of the 2002 farm bill. Most agree that price levels are attractive but do not want to miss out on any type of payment, thus the light trading. Demand was good at firm to higher price levels.

Fredericksburg Steer Prices Mostly Steady
Feeder steers sold steady, heifers $1-2 higher, slaughter cows and bulls $2 higher. Receipts totaled 878 head.

Goldthwaite Lambs Off, Goats Higher
Lightweight slaughter lambs were steady, heavyweights $3-5 lower; stock goats steady, slaughter goats $3-5 higher. Receipts totaled 1879 head.

Graham Feeder Steers Heifers Trade Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady, slaughter cows and bulls steady to $1 higher, stock cows and pairs steady. Receipts totaled 1618 head.

Llano Feeder Steers, Heifers Sell Mixed
Feeder steers and heifers under 600 pounds sold steady to strong, heavier weights weak to $2 lower, slaughter cows and bulls steady. Receipts totaled 307 head.

San Saba, Brownwood, Mason Feeders Higher
Feeder steers sold steady to $2 higher last week in Mason, Brownwood and San Saba, heifers steady to $3 higher, slaughter cows and bulls steady, stock cows and pairs $10-20 higher. Receipts totaled 2980 head at the three sales.

Kansas Direct Feeder Cattle Trade Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady last week in Kansas direct trade. The weather was mild and dry. Sales were confirmed on 10,066 head.

Junction Goat Prices Move To Lower Levels
Slaughter kid goats sold $5-8 lower, nannies steady to $3 lower. Receipts totaled 4220 head.

Most Lampasas Cattle Prices Termed Higher
Feeder steers and heifers sold $1-2 higher, slaughter cows $2.50-3 higher, bulls $1-1.50 higher. Receipts totaled 903 head.

U.S. Meat Production 2.2% Above A Year Ago
Total red meat production under federal inspection last week was estimated at 856.3 million pounds, 1.3 percent more than a week ago and 2.2 percent more than a year ago. Cumulative meat production for the year to date was up .9 percent at 8.49 billion pounds.

Loose Ends

Wild Pics From The San Angelo Stock Show And Rodeo

Coming Up...
March 14 — Lamb Special, Lometa Commission Company, Lometa, Texas. March 15 — All Breed Bull Sale, Miller Livestock Markets Inc., DeQuincy, Louisiana. March 15 — 41st Annual Tucumcari Performance Tested Bull Sale, NMSU Agricultural Science Center, Tucumcari, New Mexico. March 15 — Seedstock Plus Bull and Replacement Female Sale, La Junta, Colorado.