Feeder Lambs Steady, Fats Little Lower
Feeder lambs were steady for the most part this week. Slaughter lambs continued to slide a little lower, though Midwest markets showed a little strength. Slaughter ewes were lower.

Plains Fed Cattle On Verge Of Trading At Presstime
Plains feedlots and packers were thought to be on the verge of an agreement at presstime, moving tentatively together on a $73 market.

Texas Slaughter Goat Prices Turn Sharply Higher This Week
Slaughter kid goats at Texas markets found sharply higher trade this week, with Fredericksburg $5-10 higher and San Angelo as much as $15 higher.

PLAINS FEEDLOT SALES

RANGE SALES

TNRCC Commissioner Addresses Fellow Cattle Raisers' Members
Texas cattle raisers and Texas agriculture in general now have another friend in Austin watching out for private landowners and their property rights. Kathleen Hartnett White was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to the Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission last fall. Her term expires in 2007.

College Rodeo Alumni Assn. Head Touts Reunion To Counterparts
In his youth, Larry O'Neill rodeoed and went to the University of Texas. Now that he's grown up and become a responsible citizen, what's he going to do this summer when it comes time for the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyoming?

Ewe Lamb Retention Program Is Finally Here; Forms At FSA
The long-awaited federal ewe lamb retention program is finally here. The American Sheep Industry Association received word from USDA that the final rule on the program has been published and application forms were expected in all county Farm Services Agency offices by week's end.

Reunion Honors Surviving Five Members Of ‘42 NMSU Rodeo Team
Frank DuBois, New Mexico's Secretary of Agriculture, says he's happy with the turnout for a reunion honoring five members of the 1942 New Mexico State University rodeo team.

Economist Sees Brighter Wheat Outlook This Year And The Next
Dr. Mark Waller, a professor at Texas A&M University and an Extension grain marketing economist, expects to see higher prices for wheat. He is expecting $2.80 per bushel this year with a higher projection next year.

Wind Farms Growing In Number And Popularity Over The Years
Wind farming, which can be a lucrative operation for landowners in certain areas, is being driven by policy, not economics, according to alternative energy experts.

Feds Plan To Turn More Wolves Loose In New Mexico, Arizona
The executive director of the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association compares the federal wolf reintroduction program to turning hungry pit bulldogs loose in urban neighborhoods.

Wasting Disease Found In Deer In Wisconsin, Prompting Alarm
One by one, landowners are shooting whitetail deer in an unprecedented hunt so the animals can be tested to see how far a fatal brain disease has spread into a herd that's as much a part of Wisconsin tradition as cheese, beer and the Green Bay Packers.

McDonald’s Is Frying Up Foreign Beef
A sharp increase in the price of U.S. lean ground beef has forced one of the industry's biggest buyers to look elsewhere.

Feedlot Stocking Rates Affect Levels Of Dust And Moisture
While ranchers have long worried about stocking rates and forage, feedyards are increasingly watching stocking rates with regard to dust control.

Recession, Difficult Farm Bill Negotiations Plague Ag Sector
The continuing recession in the agricultural sector and the difficulty of negotiating a farm-friendly farm bill continue to cause concerns for the survivability of the family farm.

Cattle Raisers Offered Outlook On Change Facing Beef Industry
The changing beef industry and the effects those changes are expected to have on cattle producers was the topic of discussion for the joint marketing and brand and inspection committee during the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers' Association's recent 125^th annual convention here.

In Feedlots As In Other Things, The Devil Hides In The Details
A penny can have great power, says Dr. Tim Stanton, Extension feedlot specialist at Colorado State University here. The problem is where it comes from and how it is captured.

Transplanted Turkeys Become Numerous Nuisance In Kansas
Gus Meschke enjoys watching the antics of the large flock of wild turkeys on his property near Hutchinson. But he was surprised the day one flew through a double-pane window and into his bathroom.

Texas Officials Taking Steps To Ward Off Wasting Disease
To prevent the potential introduction of Chronic Wasting Disease, the Texas Animal Health Commission and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department have issued separate orders that suspend the importation of live white-tailed and black-tailed deer, mule deer, and elk into Texas from any states until further notice.

Appeals Court Backs ESA List Timetable
A federal appeals court here late last month ruled that the U.S. government must determine within one year of receiving a petition for listing whether a species is warranted for listing as "endangered" or "threatened".

Fire Forces IBP To Stop Kill For Day
Operations were suspended on Tuesday at IBP’s plant here because of an early morning fire in an electrical room.

Bob Lummus Wins Nevada Rodeo, Cash Myers Leads All-Around
Bob Lummus of Folsom, La., won the steer wrestling average title at the Laughlin (Nev.) River Stampede last weekend by laying down his three steers in 12.7 seconds.

Fed Cattle Prices Falter Again, Following Boxed Beef Losses
The nation's slaughter cattle market traded $1 lower last week and dressed sales were down $2 as heavy supplies of beef continue to exert tremendous pressure on boxed beef cutout values.

Nation’s Feeder Cattle Trade Sees Uneven Pattern Last Week
Feeder and stocker cattle prices were uneven across the country last week. Certain areas showed strength early in the week and pressure late in the week, and in other areas the flipside was true.

Angelo Feeder Lambs Steady, Cattle Higher
Feeder lambs sold steady this week, slaughter lambs weak to $1 lower, slaughter ewes weak to $2 lower; nanny goats steady, kids $10-15 higher. Receipts totaled 8385 head, 60 percent slaughter ewes, 10 percent slaughter lambs, five percent feeder lambs and 25 percent goats.

Goldthwaite Goats, Feeder Lambs Lower
Feeder lambs sold $2-3 lower, slaughter lambs steady; stock and feeder goats $3-5 lower, slaughter goats $5-7 lower. Receipts totaled 1922 head.

U.S. Meat Production 1.1% Above A Year Ago
Total red meat production under federal inspection last week was estimated at 848.8 million pounds, 2.3 percent less than a week earlier but 1.1 percent more than a year ago. Cumulative meat production for the year to date was up 1.2 percent at 11.1 billion pounds.

Most Abilene Cattle Prices Termed Higher
Feeder steers and heifers sold $1-2 higher, slaughter cows and bulls $2-3 higher, stock cows and pairs $20-30 higher. Receipts totaled 679 head.

Rambouillet Rams Avg. $338 Per Head
Performance tested rams from Texas Rambouillet Superior Genetics were offered by breeders who have joined together to improve genetics for meat and wool production.

Decatur Feeder Steer, Heifer Prices Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold $1-3 higher, slaughter cows and bulls steady, stock cows and pairs steady. Receipts totaled 611 head.

Fredericksburg Lamb Prices Move Higher
Feeder lambs sold $5-7 higher, slaughter lambs firm, lightweights $5-10 higher; stock goats steady to weak, slaughter goats $5-10 higher. Receipts totaled 1804 head.

Hamilton Feeder Steer, Heifer Prices Higher
Feeder steers and heifers sold higher, slaughter cows and bulls steady, stock cows and pairs steady. Receipts totaled 346 head. Lambs sold lower Wednesday, March 27, ewes steady, kid goats steady, nannies higher, Barbados steady. Receipts totaled 1212 head.

Lampasas Feeder Steer, Heifer Prices Higher
Feeder steers and heifers sold $2-3 higher, slaughter cows steady, bulls 50 cents to $1 higher. Receipts totaled 714 head.

Llano Feeder Steers, Heifers Trade Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady, slaughter cows $2 higher, bulls steady. Receipts totaled l73 head.

Kansas Direct Feeder Steers, Heifers Lower
Feeder steers sold $2-3 lower last week in Kansas direct trade, heifers $1-2 lower. No moisture again, and western counties remain extremely dry. Sales were confirmed on 7327 head.

U.S. Hog Inventory Shows Quarterly Rise
The U.S. inventory of all hogs and pigs on March 1 was two percent above a year ago at 58.7 million head, but one percent below the last quarterly report.

Brownwood, San Saba, Mason Feeders Steady
Feeder steers sold steady last week in Mason, Brownwood and San Saba, heifers steady except some lightweights $1 higher, slaughter cows and bulls steady, stock cows and pairs steady to $20 higher. Receipts totaled 906 head at the three sales.

Domestic Wool Slow, Australia On Recess
Domestic wool trading was slow the past 7-10 days, due primarily to rain and snow across many states. Shearing increased in the Western and Mountain states, but was limited in the Plains and Midwest. Demand was moderate to good for the light available supplies, but the main limiting factor is sellers' unwillingness to sell wool while waiting for the farm bill to be settled. Wool prices were steady to firm in reported sales.

Graham Feeder Steer, Heifer Prices Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady, slaughter cows and bulls $1-4 higher. Receipts totaled 334 head.

Livestock Exports To Mexico Show Increase
Livestock exports to Mexico through the week ending March 23 totaled 191,608 head, up 88 percent from a year ago.

Milano Feeder Steers, Heifers Trade Higher
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady to $2 higher, slaughter cows steady to $1 higher, bulls steady. Receipts totaled 928 head.

Colorado City Feeder Cattle Prices Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady, slaughter cows $1-3 higher, bulls $2 higher, bred stock cows $25 higher, pairs $50 higher. Receipts totaled 362 head.

Fredericksburg Steers Steady, Heifers Rise
Feeder steers sold strong, heifers $2-4 higher, slaughter cows and bulls steady. Receipts totaled 652 head.

Loose Ends

Letter To The Editor

Coming Up...
April 11 — Lamb Special, Lometa Commission Company, Lometa, Texas. April 13 — Heart of Texas Replacement Sale, Groesbeck Livestock Auction, Groesbeck, Texas. April 13 — Hill Country Boer Breeders Association’s 1st Annual Pen Sale, Fairgrounds, Johnson City, Texas.