Feeder And Slaughter Lambs Firm
Most markets quoted fat and feeder lambs on the firm side this week, and Goldthwaite was $3-5 higher. The exception were Midwest markets as much as $3 lower on Monday. Lightweight lambs were in demand many places for religious holiday fare.

Plains Fed Cattle Trade Sees Tentative Movement At $102
Texas Panhandle feedlots at presstime were just beginning to move cattle at a basically steady $102, and sales were reported at as much as $106 in Nebraska.

Texas Slaughter Goats Find Higher Market Prices Again
Meat type slaughter goats moving through Texas markets found higher prices again this week. Most rates were firm to $5 higher.

PLAINS FEEDLOT SALES

RANGE SALES

Maddux Family Has Been Feeding Calves At Home Ever Since 1918
"If I ever make it to heaven, I know the good Lord is going to be feeding steers."

Small Rodents Causing Large Headaches For City Of Lubbock
The ground on either side of him seems to be moving as John Hindman drives his pickup between the circles of irrigated winter wheat east of Lubbock.

TSCRA Gets Update On School Finance, Immigration Reform
"If you think these last three special sessions have been tough, just wait until school finance."

Cattle-Fax Rep Gives Feeders Favorable Outlook On Market
Standing before Texas Cattle Feeders Association members at their annual convention here last weekend, Randy Blach, executive vice president of Cattle Fax, grinned broadly.

Ohl Bests Brazile In Match At San Angelo Roping Fiesta
Stephenville cowboy Cody Ohl collected the winner-take-all pot Saturday in the matched calf roping portion of San Angelo’s annual Roping Fiesta. After overcoming an early 10-second penalty, Ohl led Trevor Brazile, Decatur, by 33.74 seconds at the end of the 12-head match.

Lawmakers Voice Serious Doubts About USDA’s COOL Cost Claims
Some farm-state senators are asking the Bush administration to explain how it developed its latest cost estimate for labeling the origin of meat and other foods.

Panhandle Water District Holds Off On Rule Change For Present
The Panhandle Ground Water Conservation District has postponed a vote on its new rules.

New Japanese BSE Case Another In Animal Less Than 30 Months
Despite earlier assertions that young cattle are not infected with so-called "mad cow" disease, Japanese officials confirmed Tuesday that a 21 month-old bull is the country's ninth known case.

With Federal Program In Limbo, Texas Beef Checkoff Progresses
The fate of the national beef checkoff is in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court, which has yet to decide whether or not to hear an appeal of a circuit court ruling that the mandatory $1 per head levy is unconstitutional.

USDA Changes BSE Regulations To Broaden Canada Beef Access
USDA has issued a proposed rule amending its bovine spongiform encephalopathy regulations to relax restrictions against Canadian cattle and beef.

U.S., Aussie Farm Spokesmen Point Fingers At Each Other
U.S. farmers have rallied some congressional support behind claims Australian wheat was sold to Iraq at inflated prices and that money was then given secretly to Saddam Hussein's family to maintain trade.

FDA Preliminary Reports Says Meat From Cloned Stock Safe
Meat or milk derived from healthy cloned farm animals appears safe to eat, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said last week in its first attempt at assessing questions about the emerging technology.

Economist Says Nature Tourism Offers Another Revenue Avenue
The Southwest Texas region is again hosting what appears to be one of the most important economic activities of the year — hunting. This annual activity starts with dove hunting, then quail, and now deer.

APHIS Releases Phorid Flies To Help Control Fire Ants
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, in conjunction with Texas Cooperative Extension, released phorid flies in Polk County in late October to combat the red imported fire ant.

Elko Road Dispute Still Alive, Locals, Forest Service At Odds
U.S. Forest Service officials are pressing Nevada's Shovel Brigade to retract radio ads they say are inflammatory and promote ill will toward agency officials by describing them as ``armed and dangerous.''

Wyoming Supreme Court Affirms Right To Control Land Access
The owners of a ranch that won a Wyoming Supreme Court decision allowing them to control access through their spread said the ruling will help all Wyoming property owners and those who wish to use their land.

Wisconsin Hunters Get Rewards For Sick Deer
Hunters have killed the first wild deer this fall infected with chronic wasting disease, making them eligible for new cash rewards, state wildlife officials said.

Court Okays Continued Checkoff Collections
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit last week approved a request that will allow the beef checkoff program to continue while the U.S. Department of Justice seeks Supreme Court review of a case challenging the program's constitutionality.

Fed Cattle Prices Up And Down Like Roller Coaster Last Week
Slaughter steers and heifers sold $4-6 higher in the Midwest last week. Northern markets began the week $2-5 lower but ended steady to $2 higher.

Crop Production Lost To CRP Coming Home To Haunt Towns
A popular government farm program designed to take sensitive land out of production could also be putting some people out of business if the economy doesn't turn around soon.

Crops Designed To Grow Drugs Spark New Debate Over Rules
Less than a year after corn genetically engineered for a hog vaccine ended up in Nebraska soybeans meant for human consumption, government regulators have scrambled to put into place new rules and more inspectors to oversee the developing plant-grown pharmaceutics industry.

Nation’s Feeder Cattle Price Trends Vary Widely Last Week
Stocker cattle prices were uneven across the country last week, but gains outweighed the losses in most cases.

Angelo Lambs, Feeder Cattle Firm, Goats Up
Feeder and slaughter lambs sold firm this week, slaughter ewes firm, instances $3 higher, nanny goats and kids firm to $2 higher. Receipts totaled 6864 head, around 20 percent slaughter ewes, 15 percent slaughter lambs, five percent feeder lambs and 60 percent goats.

Abilene Feeder Steer, Heifer Prices Higher
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady to $1 higher, slaughter cows and bulls $1-2 higher, stock cows $10-20 higher. Receipts totaled 1542 head.

Most Llano Feeder Cattle Prices Steady
Better grades of feeder steers and heifers sold steady, plain kinds weak, slaughter cows and bulls steady. Receipts totaled 331 head.

Hamilton Sheep, Goat Prices Called Higher
All classes of sheep and goats sold higher on receipts of 1666 head.

Milano Feeder Steers, Heifers Trade Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady, slaughter cows steady, bulls steady to $2 higher. Receipts totaled 1004 head.

Boxed Beef Values Take Deep Plunge
The national comprehensive boxed beef cutout report on all fed steers and heifers sold last week fell off $15.06 from the previous week’s record high level to $157.22.

Most Brownwood Feeder Cattle Prices Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady, slaughter cows and bulls $2 higher, stock cows and pairs steady. Receipts totaled 467 head.

Wehrmann-Donnell Angus Bulls Average $3134
The eighth annual Wehrmann-Donnell registered Angus bull sale averaged $3134 each on the 208 head offered.

Goldthwaite Fed Lambs, Slaughter Goats Higher
Most slaughter lambs sold $3-5 higher, lightweights steady, slaughter goats $3-5 higher, stock and feeder goats steady. Receipts totaled 2312 head.

Colorado City Feeder Cattle Prices Mixed
Feeder steers and heifers under 500 pounds sold steady, heavier weights $1-3 lower, slaughter cows and bulls steady, stock cows and pairs steady. Receipts totaled 582 head.

San Saba Replacement Female Cattle Higher
Female cattle sold strong here in a special replacement sale, pairs $100-250 higher, open heifers steady. Receipts totaled 2500 head.

Aussie Wool Softer, Texas Mohair Firm
Domestic wool trading was at a standstill last week. Demand was light to moderate with most interests trying to lower bids in relation to world prices, stronger world currencies, limited forward business and reduced supplies.

Kansas Direct Feeder Cattle Mostly Higher
A light test of feeder steers showed a higher undertone, heifers firm to $2 higher. The weather has been cool and dry with frost a couple of mornings and daytime highs in the 80s. Sales were confirmed on 9259 head.

Most Lampasas Cattle Prices Termed Lower
Feeder steers and heifers sold $1-2 lower, slaughter cows and bulls $1-1.50 lower, bulls $3-4 lower. Receipts totaled 1464 head.

Decatur Feeder Steers Rise, Heifers Steady
Yearling feeder steers sold $1 higher, calves and all classes of heifers steady, slaughter cows $1 higher, bulls lower, stock cows and pairs steady. Receipts totaled 1973 head.

Fredericksburg Steers Higher, Heifers Steady
Feeder steers sold $2-3 higher, heifers steady, slaughter cows and bulls steady. Receipts totaled 1867 head.

Mason, San Saba Calf Prices Termed Steady
Feeder steer and heifer calves sold steady last week, yearlings steady to $2 higher, slaughter cows and bulls steady, stock cows and pairs steady. Receipts totaled 5050 head.

U.S. Meat Production 6.4% Below A Year Ago
Total red meat production under federal inspection last week was estimated at 898.6 million pounds, .3 percent less than a week earlier and 6.4 percent less than a year ago. Cumulative meat production for the year to date was down one percent at 38.75 billion pounds.

Coming Up...
November 8 — Special Boer Goat Sale, Lometa Commission Company, Lometa, Texas. November 10 — New Industry Hereford and Angus Bull Sale and Commercial Replacement Sale, at the ranch, Hamlin, Texas. November 10 — Stocker and Feeder Sale, Producers Livestock Auction, San Angelo, Texas.