Feeder Lambs Showing Signs Of Recovery
Feeder lambs found a little stronger market in several places this week. San Angelo was as much as $5 higher, Goldthwaite up $8-10. Numbers are still very short, and little direct movement was noted.

Plains Cattle Feeders Report "Bloody Mary Market" This Week
A spokesman for the Texas Cattle Feeders Association termed fed cattle trade a "Bloody Mary market" this week as a hemorrhaging futures board led a live price tumble of anywhere from $1 to $5 from last week.

Some Slaughter Goats In Texas Continue To Find Higher Prices
Slaughter kid goats continued to find favor with most buyers this week. Goldthwaite kids were $10-15 higher, Junction $2-5 higher and Fredericksburg $2-3 higher.

PLAINS FEEDLOT SALES

RANGE SALES

Program Gives College Students Spring Break On Western Range
The college students bail out of the pickups and sport utility vehicles to stand along the top of the ridge. A mile below, a small band of wild horses graze.

Seco Creek Project Shows Brush Control Improves Water Yields
The Seco Creek Water Quality Demonstration Project, initiated in April 1990, is a cooperative project involving, state, federal and local agencies. Lead agencies on the project are USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service, Texas Cooperative Extension Service, USDA Farm Services Agency and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board.

Kansas Official Talks Water, Ogallala Aquifer In Meeting
Kansas officials are studying the Ogallala Aquifer, the giant underground water-bearing formation that stretches from South Dakota to Midland, Texas, and are trying to develop a strategy to preserve the water in the aquifer where it lies beneath Western Kansas.

Virginia Opens Season On "Nuisance" Coyotes
Virginia game and fish authorities have deemed coyotes a nuisance species and an economic pest, allowing coyotes to be hunted at any time, except on Sundays, with no limit.

Cattlemen Hear Packer View Of Ownership Ban, Labeling
Congress is in the midst of its Easter recess, but the staffs of the House and Senate ag committees were ordered to stay behind and work on a compromise farm bill.

Veneman Awards $2 Million In Grants To States For Internet
Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman recently announced nearly $2 million in local Internet dial-up service grants in six states.

Species Act Reform Faces Uphill Battle
The Bush administration appears to have sided with radical environmentalists concerning an effort to restructure the Endangered Species Act.

USDA-AMS Issues Final Rule On Lamb Checkoff
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service has issued a final rule establishing a national, industry-funded lamb promotion, research and information program.

Planting Intentions Report Bodes More Corn, Less Wheat
Markets reacted sharply to USDA's initial U.S. planting intentions report, released on March 28, indicating plans to plant more corn and oats and less wheat, sorghum, soybeans, peanuts and cotton. Futures prices for corn, for example, traded in a wide 6-7 cent range and closed 3-4 cents lower on the report release date. Since then corn futures price bids were showing some recovery but had not regained the pre-report level as of this writing on Tuesday, April 2.

Top Pro-Rodeo Hands Kick Off Mesquite Rodeo's 45th Season
The Mesquite Championship Rodeo kicked off its 45^th year last Friday in the Resistol Arena in Mesquite, Texas. Since 1958, producer Neal Gay and his staff have staged the PRCA-sanctioned rodeo each Friday and Saturday evening from the first weekend in April through the first weekend in October.

Nation’s Feeder Cattle Higher Last Week, Demand Soft Late
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady to $3 higher last week with the exception of direct trade in the Southern Plains, which sold steady to $2 lower on light receipts and light demand late in the week.

Fed Cattle Prices Moved Higher Last Week, CME Trade Declined
The nation’s slaughter cattle market was steady to $2 higher last week after opening $2 higher at midweek.

Superior Livestock Video Sale Offering Totals 26,000 Cattle
Superior Livestock Auction offered more than 26,000 feeder cattle in its regularly scheduled video sale. Prices were $2-5 lower.

U.S. Meat Production 1.7% Above A Year Ago
Total red meat production under federal inspection last week was estimated at 837.9 million pounds, 1.5 percent less than a week earlier and 1.7 percent more than a year ago. Cumulative meat production for the year to date was up 1.3 percent at 11.9 billion pounds.

Angelo Lambs Higher, Goat Prices Steady
Feeder lambs sold $3-5 higher this week, slaughter lambs firm to $2 higher, instances $5-7 higher, slaughter ewes weak to $3 lower; nannies and kids steady. Receipts totaled 8247 head, around 45 percent slaughter ewes, 10 percent slaughter lambs, five percent feeder lambs and 40 percent goats.

Goldthwaite Feeder Lambs, Fat Goats Up
Feeder lambs sold $8-10 higher, slaughter lambs steady, stock goats $10-12 lower, slaughter goats $10-15 higher. Receipts totaled 1638 head.

Producers Internet Sells 2300 Feeders
Producers Internet Auction offered 2300 feeder cattle from Florida, Texas and Mississippi. Delivery was mostly current to July.

Hamilton Feeder Steer, Heifer Prices Lower
Feeder steers and heifers sold lower, slaughter cows and bulls steady, stock cows and pairs steady. Receipts totaled 509 head. Sheep classes sold higher Wednesday, April 3, kid goats higher, nannies steady and Barbados steady. Receipts totaled 838 head.

Llano Feeder Steers, Heifers Sell Lower
Feeder steers and heifers sold $3-6 lower, slaughter cows and bulls steady. Receipts totaled 181 head.

Fredericksburg Feeder Lambs, Goats Mixed
Feeder lambs sold steady, slaughter lambs firm except lightweights $3-5 lower, slaughter goats $2-3 higher, feeders steady. Receipts totaled 1827 head.

Abilene Feeder Steer, Heifer Prices Lower
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady to $2 lower, slaughter cows and bulls $2-3 lower, stock cows and pairs $10-30 higher. Receipts totaled 727 head.

Milano Feeder Steers, Heifers Mostly Lower
Feeder steers weighing less than 400 pounds sold $1-3 lower, heavier weights $3-5 lower, slaughter cows $2 lower, bulls $1-2 lower. Receipts totaled 402 head.

Cuero Feeder Steers, Heifers Sell Mixed
Lightweight feeder steers and heifers sold higher, over 450 pounds lower, slaughter cows $2-3 higher, bulls about steady. Receipts totaled 1529 head.

Most Graham Cattle Prices Called Lower
Feeder steers and heifers sold $2-3 lower, slaughter cows and bulls $1-2 lower, stock cows and pairs steady to $10 lower. Receipts totaled 423 head.

Junction Sheep Sold Lower, Kids Higher
Most sheep and goats sold lower except big kids $2-5 higher. Receipts totaled 3293 head.

Colorado City Feeder Cattle Prices Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady, slaughter cows steady to $1 higher, bulls $1 higher, bred stock cows $25 higher, pairs $75 higher. Receipts totaled 932 head.

Fredericksburg Cattle Prices Called Higher
Feeder steers sold $2-3 higher, heifers $1-2 higher, slaughter cows and bulls $1-2 higher. Receipts totaled 791 head.

Most Lampasas Cattle Prices Termed Higher
Feeder steers and heifers sold $2-3 higher, slaughter cows and bulls 50 cents to $1 higher. Receipts totaled 518 head.

Decatur Feeder Cattle Trade Termed Steady
All cattle classes sold generally steady on rain-reduced receipts of 299 head.

Domestic Wool Slow, Aussies On Recess
Wool trading across most of the country resumed except in the upper Midwest states, which received rain and snow. Trading activity was slower than anticipated at current price levels as producers continue to wait on the details of the Loan Deficiency Payment program in Congress.

Loose Ends

Letters 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.