Lamb Prices Higher, Ewes Fall Hard
Feeder and slaughter lambs generally sold higher around the country this week, $3 advances the most popular movement. San Angelo was the exception; weakness prevailed there.

Fed Cattle Prices Vary Little, But The Mood Is Some Better
Once again, fed cattle trade through the Plains — and most everywhere else — was a mostly one-day affair. Prices likewise didn’t change much from last week, but the psychology seemed considerably better.

Texas Mohair Trading Slow
Trading on Texas mohair is slow as growers continue shearing operations and buyers show little interest.

Plains Feedlot Sales

Range Sales

Bannowsky Family Survived The Depression On 15 Cents
Hard work and honesty coupled with a little frugality is a philosophy Gus Bannowsky has handed down to his children and grandchildren.

Fashion Design Students Fall In Love With Mohair On Tour
Wool and mohair promotion dollars were hard at work this past week when the Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers Assn. and the Mohair Council of America hosted a three-day tour for students in the fashion and textile design programs at Denton’s Texas Women’s University.

Study Looks At Differences In Angora And Angora Crosses
Americans are fast discovering West Texas’ best kept secret — cabrito.
Goat meat, or "cabrito," was once thought to be almost inedible by millions in the U.S. who had never tasted it. Today it is the fastest-growing red meat industry in the country. Much of the credit goes to an ever-increasing goat-eating ethnic influence. Another reason is that properly prepared cabrito is an ideal lean red meat, so important in today’s health-conscious society.

Post-Stockshow Empty Spots Not Just Out At The Pens
It’s all over but the crying. The stock shows have come and gone, and the 4-H animals have been loaded on the trucks. They left behind thousands of empty pens, including the two at our house.

New Research Station To Open For The University Of Arizona
The University of Arizona will establish a new agricultural research center this year, dedicated to addressing environmental, wildlife and domestic livestock issues applicable to Arizona and the Southwest. The UA College of Agriculture acquired the V Bar V Ranch in Coconino and Yavapai counties in January on a gift/purchase basis from Ben and Betsy Zink.

Republican House Members Seek Updated Estate Tax Exemptions
Increasing the exemption for estate taxes would make it easier for family farms and ranches to be handed down from one generation to the next, Republican House members said late last week, seeking a revision in the exemption level set several years ago.

County Leaders Join Rancher In Grazing Dispute With Feds
Lander County Commissioners have joined the grazing dispute between the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and Reese River Valley rancher Hank Filippini.

Aquifer Judge Threatens Users, Bars TDA As Sierra Club Asks
It’s called shopping for a judge when a plaintiff files suit in an unlikely court to have the case heard before a magistrate he expects to rule his way.

Bruce Babbitt Has Drawn Fire From Both Sides In Range War
His once ambitious agenda to "revitalize and protect" America's public lands in shambles, Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt is being sniped at by old environmental friends as well as conservative Westerners who see him as a threat to their way of life.

Elk-Proof Fence Expensive, But Worth Cost To Stockman
After rumbling to the top of the knoll in his pickup truck, Ben Hurwitz looks over his ranch and chews a cigar with a distinct air of satisfaction.

Congressmen Support Moratorium On Endangered Species Listings
The federal government couldn't list any new plant or animal species under the Endangered Species Act if legislation passed by the House is approved by the Senate.

Espy Probe Questions Top Aide, Attracts Wrath Of Chicken King
An assistant secretary of agriculture appeared late last week before a federal grand jury investigating former Ag Secretary Mike Espy's conduct in office.

Lawmakers Consider Tax Breaks In Return For Ag Program Cuts
Farm-state lawmakers are pushing for a variety of tax breaks that could help growers cope with possible cuts in government crop subsidies.

Montana Bill Would Allow Ranchers To Shoot Buffalo
Ranchers could shoot buffalo without criminal liability under a bill given preliminary approval by the Montana state Senate Saturday.

Temple Lea Houston Attracted Attention In His Own Right
Temple Lea Houston, son of Sam Houston and Margaret Lea Houston, was one of Texas’ greatest native sons.

Facing Loss Of Species Act, Backers Scrambling To Fix It
Environmental activists and their bureaucratic allies have spent the last two decades scheming ways to broaden the grasp of the federal Endangered Species Act. They’ve used it to take vast acreage from its lawful owners and aimed ESA like a dagger at the hearts of several resource-based industries.

Sierra Club Must Pay For NM Sheep Range
The Sierra Club Foundation has been ordered to pay $800,000 for the purchase of sheep grazing lands for a northern New Mexico economic development program.

Feds Announce Plan To List Another Bird
The Southwest willow flycatcher will be designated an endangered species, impacting cattle grazing and rivers in Arizona.

Cornell Scientist Warns About Erosion
Millions of tons of farm soil are being swept away by water and wind, leaving the Earth increasingly unable to feed the more than five billion humans now living on the planet.

Beef Production, Exports On Rise
 Beef production in the United States —  the world's largest producer — continues to expand, with an expected one to two percent gain this year and possibly a larger increase in 1996.

Senator Wants Cuts In Reserve Program
North Dakota Sen. Byron Dorgan has proposed to slash in half a popular farm conservation program that has pumped millions of dollars to growers in the upper Midwest, including his state.

Seers Forecast Bleak Menu In The Future
Shortages of land, water and energy will radically change what appears on America's plate by the year 2050, some scientists predict. They expect to see less meat and dairy, more grains and beans, and a sparser variety of vegetables.

Mouth-To-Beak Saves Hen From Deepfreeze
Valerie the hen is one plucky clucker.
Farmer Janet Bonney thought the chicken was dead when she found it frozen under her porch. "Legs up, just as though you had got her from the freezer at Shop 'n' Save," she said.

Sheriff Stops Wolf Release In Idaho
Lemhi County Sheriff Brett Barsalou recently found himself barring federal biologists from releasing wolves near the Yellowjacket Mine because he feared a standoff with angry ranchers.

Activist Groups Want More Land
Like salmon swimming upstream, various eco-activist groups are calling for the federal government to take over more private property. They seem unable to grasp the fact that under the new political realities, they’ll be doing well to hold onto most of the land they’ve managed to grab so far.

Coyotes A Problem In Ohio Now, Too
It probably won’t help their feelings much, but western stockmen can take some solace in knowing they are not the only ones plagued by coyotes and other varmints. State wildlife officials in Ohio now are concerned about a growing number of coyotes in that state and the potential for the spread of rabies.

Judges Question Plan To Raise Ethanol Use
A federal court test of a government proposal to expand use of corn-based ethanol in cleaner-burning gasoline indicates the idea may be in trouble.

Idaho Senate Votes To Support Stockmen
A state Senate committee has endorsed legislation barring environmentalists from challenging state livestock grazing leases.

USDA Designee Urges Caution In Farm Cuts
Former U.S. Rep. Dan Glickman, President Clinton's choice as the next secretary of agriculture, said Saturday that Congress should be cautious in cutting farm programs.

Arizona AG Bans Predator Trapping
Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods says ranchers can't use leg-hold traps or snares to kill mountain lions or bears that prey on livestock.

Bush Names Celebs To Parks Commission
Baseball great Nolan Ryan and former "Dallas" actress Susan Howard have been appointed to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission.

Feeder Cattle Continued Price Declines Last Week, Numbers Up
Feeder cattle prices continued their downward slide last week. Steers and heifers were mostly $1-2 lower, instances $3 off on yearlings.

Texas Fed Cattle Trade Sags As Meat, Futures Prices Fall
Slaughter steers and heifers sold $1.50-2 lower last week in Texas Panhandle and Western Oklahoma direct trading.

Superior Livestock Video Sale Offering Totals 67,000 Cattle
Superior Livestock Auction offered more than 67,000 cattle in their regular video sale here Feb. 24 and 25.

Angelo Feeder Lambs Weak, Cattle Lower
Feeder lambs were weak this week, slaughter lambs weak to $2 lower, slaughter ewes fully $4-5 lower, instances $8-12 off. Receipts totaled 9686 head.

Jordan Special Sale Sees Mixed Cow Trade
Open heifers sold steady to $50 per head higher in special trading here, bred cows and heifers steady to $25 lower, cows with calves mostly $50-75 lower, a few steady. Receipts totaled 3400 head.

Lampasas Feeder Steer, Heifer Prices Softer
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady to $1 lower, instances $2 off, slaughter cows and bulls $1-3 lower, stock cows steady. Receipts totaled 1000 head.

Domestic Wool Slow, Aussie Wools Mixed
Demand was generally good for limited available supplies of domestic wool last week. Not enough was sold for a thorough test, but the undertone was firm.

San Saba And Mason Feeder Cattle Mixed
Choice lightweight and mediumweight feeder cattle sold strong in San Saba Thursday, February 23, and Mason Monday, February 27, some mediumweights as much as $1 higher, heavyweight fleshy feeders mostly $1-3 lower, slaughter cows $2-3 higher, bulls steady, stock cows steady. Two day receipts totaled 1481 head.

Most Fredericksburg Feeder Cattle Lower
Feeder steers and heifers sold $1-2 lower, slaughter cows and bulls $1-2 higher. Receipts totaled 1173 head.

Junction Angora Goats Steady, Killers Lower
Compared with two weeks earlier feeder lambs were poorly tested, slaughter lambs $4-6 higher, slaughter ewes steady; stock Angora goats steady, slaughter nannies and muttons $6-8 lower, kids and yearlings near steady; Spanish kids $3-5 lower, others steady. Receipts totaled 3600 head.

Wyoming Ram Test Set For March 24
Weight gain and wool grade are among sheep production factors to be reviewed at a free public program March 24 at the University of Wyoming.

U.S. Meat Production 3.3% Above A Year Ago
Total red meat production under federal inspection last week was an estimated 790.2 million pounds, 1.6 percent below the previous week and 3.3 percent above the same week a year ago. Cumulative production for the year to date was 1.8 percent above a year ago.

Goldthwaite Newcrop Feeder Lambs Decline
Newcrop feeder lambs were $3-6 lower, oldcrops near steady, slaughter lambs $2-3 higher, newcrops steady, slaughter ewes and bucks $2-3 lower, stock ewes fully steady; stock Angora goats steady, slaughter nannies and muttons $1-2 lower, fat kids and yearlings steady to $2 lower; Spanish kid goats $2-3 lower, nannies, muttons and billies steady to $2 lower. Receipts totaled 6500 head.

Cuero Cattle Prices Trend Slightly Lower
Trading was active and demand good, prices a little lower on all classes of cattle. Receipts totaled 1128 head.

Hindsight

Unregistered Bull in a Hotel Lobby
Choice gleanings from 45-plus years of Unregistered Bull. 
John was reminiscent and resplendent in the hotel lobby this week. He lolled back in his favorite chair with his legs crossed so you could see all five rows of stitching on his new boots. He was wearing a new ten-gallon hat that must have cost at least five bucks a gallon.

On The Edge Of Common Sense
By Baxter Black
Ladies and Gentlemen! How many times have you been leading your cow down the street and suddenly looked back to find her with a foot stuck in the storm drain?

Pokin' Fun
By Doc Blakely
In a recent meeting in Des Moines, Iowa, I met Capt. Al Haynes. Few remember his name until it is explained that he was the pilot of United 532 that crash-landed in Sioux City last year with almost no directional controls on the aircraft except up and down. Capt. Haynes kept his sense of humor even in the face of immense danger.

Shortgrass Country
By Monte Noelke
The 1995 wool harvest will be the last clip shorn under the support of the wool tariff funds since the beginning of the incentive plan in the 1950s. The final incentive payments will be in April of 1996. Much howling and gnashing of teeth is going to take place at the issuing of the last check and the dreaded thought of more imported wools hitting the docks from Australia and New Zealand.

The Computer & The Cowboy
By C.A. Rodenberger, Ph.D
A word to the wise. Never buy a computer system from a store where all of the software is games and the salespersons are all sitting around playing with joysticks. Also, always use a credit card to make the purchase.