Fat, Feeder Lamb Prices Turn Sour
It’s tough trying to find a favorable price trend on lambs this week and a half before Easter. Lamb prices in Texas are generally $3-5 lower, in the Midwest steady to $3 lower. Slaughter ewes were about $1 lower.

Plains Feedlots In Standoff Yet Another Time At Midweek
Plains feedlots and packers were dollars apart at midweek. After paying $74.50 last week, packers rolled bids back to $71 and feedlots were holding for $73 or better.

Texas Goat Prices Continue Sharp Slide As Easter Nears
With Easter just around the corner, fat goats moved sharply lower for the second week in a row. Most prices were called $3-10 lower.

PLAINS FEEDLOT SALES

RANGE SALES

Dueling Water-Sales Entities Reach Agreement In Panhandle
An agreement in principle over Mesa Water's plan to pump water in the Texas Panhandle for sale to the highest bidder is expected to be formalized in April.

Sound Management Allows Kerr Wildlife Area To Flourish
The Kerr Wildlife Management Area near Hunt is considered by many to be one of Texas Parks and Wildlife's big success stories.

Economist Forecasts Slightly Higher Corn And Grain Prices
Dr. Mark Waller, a professor at Texas A&M University and an Extension grain marketing economist, expects to see slightly higher prices for corn and feed grain through 2002 and into 2003.

Klamath Water Wars Proposal Draws Fire From Tribes, Ecos
Rep. Greg Walden's compromise proposal on a $175 million aid package to ease the Klamath Basin water wars has drawn strong support from the region's dominant farm group, but has not satisfied conservationists and the Klamath Tribes.

Muscle Profiling Studies Lead To New Beef Cuts, More Options
Not all muscles are created equal.
"We fall into a trap of believing that just because muscles are next to each other, they are the same or they have similar characteristics," says Chris Calkins, University of Nebraska, who headed up the muscle profiling project that has led to a new cut of meat.

Hazardous Dump Granted Permit On Site Between Roswell, Tatum
The New Mexico Environment Department has issued a 10-year permit for the state's first commercial hazardous waste disposal site.

Nevada Rancher Fined, Confined In Case Over Disputed Grazing
A Nevada rancher will report to a halfway house here April 3, after being ordered incarcerated for a month, spending another three months under house arrest at his ranch and being fined $5000 by a federal judge over a grazing dispute.

Homeland Security Chief Talks Of Combining Food Regulators
Homeland security chief Tom Ridge says the Bush administration, concerned about the nation's food supply, is looking at making a single federal agency responsible for keeping deadly toxins out of everything from beef to broccoli.

Study Finds No Protected Fish In River Along Embattled Road
Repair work on a road along the Idaho-Nevada border last year could not have harmed officially "threatened" bull trout because there are none in the West Fork of the Jarbidge River, a new fish inventory concludes.

Farm Bill Debaters Rule Out Early Vote
Hopes that the 2002 Farm Bill could be wrapped up in time for a vote by both houses of Congress before their two-day spring recess begins this weekend were dashed late Tuesday.

Texas Stands To Lose TB "Free" Status By April 1
By April, the U.S. Department of Agriculture could cancel Texas' "free" status for cattle tuberculosis eradication because two of the state's estimated 153,000 cattle herds have been diagnosed with the disease
since summer 2001.

Farm Bill Negotiators Seeking Vote On Legislation This Week
Congressional negotiators hope to work out a final agreement this week on an overhaul of farm programs that could take effect for this year's crops.

Study Says Slaughter Not Biggest Killer
Vegetarians have long claimed a higher moral ground than their meat-eating counterparts, saying that because they abstain from meat, fewer animals die.

Yellowstone Buffalo Plan Protester Jailed
Another member of the Buffalo Field Campaign has been arrested after locking himself to two concrete-filled 50-gallon barrels and blocking a gate to disrupt capture of bison.

Grazing Suit May Lead To Permit Renewals
Ranchers with Forest Service grazing permits that have been suspended or canceled may have a chance to get the grazing permits reinstated.

Kansas Foot, Mouth Scare A Precaution
Kansas livestock officials say eight cows have tested negative for foot and mouth disease.

Direct Fed Cattle Trade Higher Last Week, Retail Demand Good
Slaughter steers and heifers sold $1 higher last week with dressed sales $1-2 higher.

Cattle On Feed Off One Percent In Seven Main Feeding States
Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter March 1 in the seven leading feeding states totaled 9.91 million head, down one percent from the same date in 2001, but up two percent from March 1, 2000.

Ram Test Top Sellers Descend From Earlier Years' Standouts
Proof positive that "like begets like" was demonstrated last week during the annual Sonora Ram Performance Test field day and sale conducted by the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. Two Rambouillet rams sired by superior animals from past years’ tests topped prices in this year’s sale offering. Both animals were purchased by the Sawyer Ranch of Sonora.

Feeder Cattle Prices Decline As Lower Fed Market Expected
Feeder steers and heifers sold $1-3 lower last week with the most pressure placed on cattle weighing over 800 pounds and expected to finish around July.

Dry Conditions, Insects Hurt Oklahoma Wheat Crop Chances
Lower than normal rainfall and an infestation of insects has left more than a quarter of Oklahoma's wheat crop in poor shape, agriculture officials warn.

Angelo Lambs, Goats Lower, Cattle Weak
Feeder lambs sold $3-5 lower, slaughter lambs $3-5 lower, slaughter ewes weak to $1 lower; nanny goats were weak to $2 lower, kids $5-10 lower. Receipts totaled 16,500 head, around 30 percent feeder lambs, 25 per-cent slaughter lambs, 20 percent slaughter ewes and 25 percent goats.

Most Lampasas Steer, Heifer Prices Lower
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady to $1.50 lower, slaughter cows and bulls $1-2 lower. Receipts totaled 891 head.

Cuero Cattle Active, Prices Called Lower
Trading was active, all classes selling lower. Receipts totaled 1482 head.

Fredericksburg Lambs, Goats Sharply Lower
Feeder and slaughter lambs sold $3-5 lower; feeder and slaughter goats $3-5 lower. Receipts totaled 4164 head.

Milano Feeder Steers, Heifers Sharply Lower
Feeder steers and heifers sold $4-7 lower, slaughter cows $2-3 lower, bulls steady. Receipts totaled 512 head.

Fredericksburg Cow Sale Tops At $1725
The Gillespie County Livestock Company's annual spring special cow replacement sale had registered Angus cows with calves from $1300-1725 per head with six head at $1725.

Hereford Revolution Sale Tops At $3000
The grand champion and top selling bull at the Texas Hereford Revolution sale, sponsored by the Greater Hill Country Hereford Assn., was consigned by A.C. Kast, Fredericksburg. The bull was also the champion haltered bull and sold for $3000 to Douglas Zenner, Fredericksburg.

Abilene Feeder Steer, Heifer Prices Lower
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady to $1 lower, slaughter cows and bulls $1-2 higher, stock cows and pairs $10-20 higher. Receipts totaled 854 head.

Llano Feeder Steers, Heifers Trade Lower
Feeder steers and heifers sold $2-5 lower, slaughter cows and bulls steady to $2 higher. Receipts totaled 255 head.

Most Hamilton Cattle Hold Steady Levels
All cattle classes sold steady on receipts of 286 head. Sheep classes sold lower Wednesday, March 13, nannies steady, kids lower. Receipts totaled 2473 head.

San Saba, Brownwood, Mason Feeders Mixed
Lightweight feeder steers and heifers sold steady to $2 higher, heavyweights $2-3 lower, slaughter cows steady, bulls $2 higher, stock cows and pairs steady. Receipts totaled 1421 head at the three sales.

Goldthwaite Lambs, Goats Trade Lower
Feeder and slaughter lambs sold $3-5 lower; stock and feeder goats $4-5 lower, slaughter goats $5-7 lower. Receipts totaled 4662 head.

Kansas Direct Feeder Cattle Trend Weaker
Feeder steers moving direct in Kansas sold weak to $1 lower, heifers too few for an adequate test but with a lower undertone. The weather was dry and mild. Sales were confirmed on 3997 head.

Fredericksburg Choice Feeder Cattle Steady
Choice feeder steers and heifers sold steady, lower grades $2-3 lower, slaughter cows and bulls $2 lower. Receipts totaled 1097 head.

U.S. Meat Production 3.2% Above A Year Ago
Total red meat production under federal inspection last week was estimated at 876.4 million pounds, 2.2 percent more than a week earlier and 3.2 percent more than a year ago. Cumulative meat production for the year to date was up 1.1 percent at 9.37 billion pounds.

Most Colorado City Cattle Sell Lower
Feeder steers and heifers sold $1-3 lower, slaughter cows $1-3 lower, bulls $1 lower, stock cows and pairs steady. Receipts totaled 1234 head.

Graham Feeder Steer, Heifer Prices Lower
Feeder steers and heifers sold $1-3 lower, slaughter cows and bulls $1-2 lower, stock cows and pairs $20-30 lower. Receipts totaled 886 head.

Junction Sheep, Goat Prices Called Lower
All classes of sheep and goats sold lower on receipts of 4827 head.

San Saba Special Female Sale Strong
Demand was strong and trading active in the special female replacement sale at Jordan Cattle Auction. Bred cows sold steady, open heifers moderate, exposed heifers $25-75 higher. Receipts totaled 2205 head.

Domestic Wool Slow, Aussie Wools Lower
Domestic wool trading was slow but building momentum as demand remains good for all classes of wool. The limiting factor continues to be the lack of resolution of the wool part of the 2002 Farm Bill.

Loose Ends

Coming Up...
March 21 — Special Cow Sale, Producers Livestock Auction, San Angelo, Texas. March 21 — Mushrush Red Angus and Beckton Red Angus Joint Sale, at the ranch, Elmdale, Kansas. March 23 — South Texas Cattle Marketing Spring Replacement Sale, Nixon Livestock Auction, Nixon, Texas. March 23 — Windy Bar Ranch’s Carcass Bull and Female Sale, at the ranch, Stonewall, Texas.