Fat, Feeder Lambs Find Uneven Market
Fat and feeder lambs at most Texas markets were mostly steady this week, but Midwest prices on slaughter lambs were as much as $5 higher and $3 higher on feeders. Last week’s direct trade on feeder lambs in the Mountain states was a couple of dollars higher with 94,000 lambs moving into feedlots under retained ownership.

Plains Fed Cattle Trade Back In Stalemate Mode This Week
Plains cattle feeders and packers found themselves back in familiar territory this week, watching the hours tick by with no trade. At midweek, bids were $64 and asking prices $68 or better.

Texas Slaughter Goat Prices Suffered Sharp Losses Again
Slaughter goats on Texas markets found tough going this week with most sales around $2-5 lower, some as much as $7 off in Goldthwaite.

PLAINS FEEDLOT SALES

RANGE SALES

McDonald’s Answers Concerns Of TFB, Texas Beef Producers
In early spring 2002, McDonald’s Corporation announced a small pilot study to test the use of imported beef in their hamburger product. The test was to include 400 restaurants in the Southeast.

Brits Screen Sheep For Gene Showing Scrapie Resistance
British sheep are being tested for a gene that is resistant to the brain disease scrapie.

Cattle Feeders Group Favors Collective Market Over Govt.
Members of a special "Four-State Working Group" made up of cattle feeders have decided to pursue the concept of collective marketing for the fed cattle sector following a recent meeting here.

Some Ranchers Leery Of Farm Bill’s Intensive Grazing Aid
The new farm bill this year made cost-share money available to help establish the infrastructure needed for intensive grazing operations, but Wyoming ranchers are suspicious of taking any of it because it might tie their ranches to the federal government and pull ranchers into endangered species problems.

Four States To Receive $150M For Feed Assistance Program
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman has announced that sign-up for the $150 million feed assistance program to help cow-calf operators in Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota will begin Aug. 28 at FSA offices in those four states.

PRCA Lauds Columnist For Pro-Rodeo Comment
The Professional Rodeo Cowboy's Association is organizing a letter-writing campaign to a Sunday newspaper supplement in support of one of its weekly columnists.

Boxed Beef Values Off $1.19 Last Week
USDA’S National Comprehensive Boxed Beef Cutout value of all fed steer and heifer sales last week lost $1.19, dropping to $103.60.

NMSU Has First Rodeo Coach After 60 Years
New Mexico State University has its first rodeo coach.

Oprah Case Dismissed For Good This Time
A federal judge has dismissed a lingering lawsuit that accused Oprah Winfrey of violating Texas' so-called "veggie libel" law by maligning the beef industry.

NAS Finds Meat From Cloned Animals Safe
Following a relatively positive recent report from the National Academy of Sciences, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is likely to lift an informal moratorium on farmers selling the meat from cloned animals by the end of this year, says a recent report in the Washington Post.

Eco Suit Forces FWS To Back Fish Listing
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed listing the Gila chub as an officially "endangered" species.

Association Conducts Schools To Preserve Lore Of Chuckwagon
When contestants circled the wagons in Lubbock this month for the National Cowboy Symposium, they were in the hometown of Owen Noble, president of the American Chuckwagon Association.

Veneman Outlines Key Areas For Farm Bill Implementation
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman recently participated in a news briefing with farm reporters and broadcasters announcing farm bill implementation measures and discussing key issues before Congress as it returns from its August recess.

Researchers Developing New Methods For Detecting BSE
The U.S. Agriculture Department is appropriating funds to evaluate new rapid tests for detection of prion-infected livestock.

Naked Actress Latest PETA Billboard Pinup
A pinup actress from the television show Baywatch will be the poster girl for a new PETA campaign.

Ag Groups Opposing Aussie Trade Pact
A broad coalition of agricultural organizations including the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association has signed a letter to U.S. trade officials vehemently opposing a bi-lateral free trade agreement with Australia.

NCBA Urges Greenspan To Cut Interest Rates
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association president Wythe Willey has signed a letter to Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan urging an additional one-quarter point reduction in interest rates.

Now Past FMD Crisis, UK Exports Beef Again
The first beef to be exported from the United Kingdom since the beginning of the foot and mouth disease crisis in February 2001 has been stamped ready for shipping, the Welsh Assembly has revealed.

USDA Releases $10M In 2002 EQIP Funds
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman has announced the release of nearly $10 million in previously unallocated FY2002 funds for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. These funds will allow the Natural Resources Conservation Service to continue to implement the program this fiscal year, as authorized in the 2002 Farm Bill.

K.C. Jones Wins Pendleton Rodeo; Clinches NFR Berth
Colorado steer wrestler K.C. Jones has seen his fair share of ups and downs. In 2001, he barely missed qualifying for his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, finishing the year 18th in the world standings.

Nation’s Feeder Cattle Prices Uneven Last Week, Avg. Steady
The yearling feeder steer and heifer market closed near steady across the country last week after opening slightly lower. The turnaround came on Wednesday, when packers succumbed to the CME’s $5 premium over the cash market.

Superior Livestock Video Sale Offering Totals 52,000 Cattle
Superior Livestock Auction offered more than 52,000 mostly feeder cattle in their annual Fall Classic sale. Most yearlings and calves sold fully steady, northern calves $2-4 lower.

Direct Cattle Sales Higher In High Plains And Midwest
Direct trading of fed cattle was active across the country last week under good demand. The bulk of the week’s trading occurred Wednesday as short-bought packers competed aggressively for numbers. Live and dressed basis sales were $2 higher.

Angelo Feeder Lambs, Steers, Heifers Steady
Feeder lambs sold steady this week, slaughter lambs weak, slaughter ewes $1-2 lower, instances $5 lower; slaughter kids $2-5 lower, nannies weak to $5 lower. Receipts totaled 14,474 head, around 35 percent slaughter ewes, 25 percent feeder lambs, five percent slaughter lambs and 35 percent goats.

U.S. Meat Production .3% Below A Year Ago
Total red meat production under federal inspection last week was estimated at 914 million pounds, 7.5 percent higher than a week earlier and .3 percent less than a year ago. Cumulative meat production for the year to date was up 3.5 percent at 32.47 billion pounds.

EMerg/CattleinfoNet Offers 3400 Feeders
EMerg/CattleinfoNet offered 3400 feeder cattle from Louisiana, Texas, Kansas, California, New Mexico and Wyoming in its Internet auction. Delivery is current through December.

Billings Feeder Lambs Move Sharply Higher
Feeder lambs sold $3-6 higher Monday under good demand on all weights, slaughter ewes $1-2 lower. Receipts totaled 4302 head.

Fredericksburg Sheep, Goat Prices Steady
Feeder and slaughter lambs sold steady, stock and slaughter goats steady. Receipts totaled 3315 head.

Kansas Direct Feeder Steers On Weak Side
Feeder steers and heifers moving direct in Kansas sold weak on a light test last week. The weather was mild with scattered showers, some western counties receiving up to 2.5 inches of rain. Sales were confirmed on 8458 head.

Most Mason, San Saba Feeder Cattle Higher
Feeder steers sold $2-3 higher last week in Mason and San Saba, heifers $1-2 higher, slaughter cows and bulls steady to $1 higher, stock cows steady. Receipts totaled 2490 head.

Most Milano Feeder Steers, Heifers Lower
Feeder steers under 400 pounds were steady, heavier weights $1-3 lower, heifers steady to $3 lower, the greatest decline on weights under 600 pounds, slaughter cows steady to $1 higher, bulls steady. Receipts totaled 1049 head.

Most Abilene Cattle Prices Deemed Higher
Feeder steers and heifers sold $1-2 higher, slaughter cows and bulls $1-2 higher, stock cows and pairs steady. Receipts totaled 1468 head.

Hamilton Stock Calves Rise, Yearlings Steady
Steer and heifer yearlings sold steady, stock calves higher, slaughter cows steady, bulls higher, stock cows and pairs steady. Receipts totaled 592 head. Monday lambs sold higher, ewes steady, slaughter kids $1-3 lower, nannies lower. Receipts totaled 2625 head.

Most Brownwood Cattle Prices Termed Steady
Cattle prices were mostly steady with last week on receipts of 515 head.

Producers Internet Offers 1600 Feeders
Producers Internet Auction offered 1600 feeder cattle from Florida, Mississippi and Texas in their regularly scheduled sale. Delivery is current through November.

Llano Feeder Steers Higher, Heifers Off
Feeder steers sold strong to $2 higher, heifers $1-2 lower, slaughter cows and bulls barely steady. Receipts totaled 697 head.

Goldthwaite Lambs Higher, Goats Lower
Lightweight slaughter lambs sold $2-3 higher, heavyweights steady; stock goats were $8-10 lower, slaughter goats $5-7 lower. Receipts totaled 2131 head.

Lampasas Feeder Steer, Heifer Prices Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady, slaughter cows $.50-1 lower, bulls $3-4 lower. Receipts totaled 850 head.

Junction Sheep, Goat, Cattle Prices Steady
Sheep and goat classes sold steady on receipts of 4336 head. Cattle sold steady Friday on receipts of 500 head.

Decatur Feeder Steer, Heifer Prices Higher
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady to $3 higher, stock cows and pairs steady. Receipts totaled 2232 head.

Most Cuero Cattle Prices Called Steady
Most cattle sold steady, except 300-450 pound heifers $3 higher. Receipts totaled 2010 head.

Domestic Wool Slow, Aussie Wools Higher
Wool trading remains seasonally slow. Demand was light to moderate on light supplies in all areas.

Loose Ends

Coming Up...
September 19 — Rio Grande Classic Special Fall Horse Sale, Rio Grand Classic Livestock Auction, El Paso, Texas. September 19 — West Texas Rehabilitation Center’s 2002 Round-Up For Rehab Sale, Producers Livestock Auction, San Angelo, Texas. September 20-21 — Fall Horse Sale, Roswell Livestock Auction, Roswell, New Mexico.