Feeder Lamb Prices Soft, Fats Lower
Feeder lambs held fairly steady around the country early this week, though some areas lost a few dollars. Fat lambs seemed to be looking for a level to settle on. Market lambs moved sharply higher a couple of weeks ago, but contracts did not follow their lead, and now market lambs are backing down closer to the contract price level.

Fed Cattle Prices Fall $2-3, But Feedlots Must Move Cattle
Fed cattle prices in the Plains fell $2-3 this week after fairly sluggish movement last week and a busted futures board Monday. Trade by midweek was still well shy of showlists, but most feedlots need to move cattle, and the packers know it.

Plains Feedlot Sales

Range Sales

NM Governor Threatens Veto Of Bill To Buy Chama Ranch
New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson said last week that he would veto a bill rushed through the legislature to authorize the state to purchase the Chama Land and Cattle Co.

Some Question If Yellowstone Really Overgrazed After All
The grasses had been nibbled down to a bare stubble, leaving slopes, hillsides, whole miles of not much more than mud, cactus, rock and sage.

Ranch Life Has Come A Long Way From Pioneer Days And Dugouts
Many a time we have heard the comment "It would be hard for me to live out here" from visitors to this sparsely populated ranch country. The closest cities are a distant 100 miles, and the thought of living that far from the bright lights seems to bother some people.

World Leaders To Discuss New Meat, Livestock Trade
Government and industry leaders will meet at the 1995 World Meat Congress in Denver, May 30 through June 2, to discuss changing trade patterns for the world’s meat and livestock industries.

Proposal Would Allow Texans Some Say In New Legislation
Texas Lt. Governor Bob Bullock announced Monday a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow legislators to submit bills to voters and let the voters decide whether they become law.

Comparison Of U.S. Ag Policy To Stalin’s Opens Bill Debate
Only Soviet dictator Josef Stalin created a dumber farm policy than the one that reigns in this country, a conservative think tank scholar said late last week in the first congressional hearing on the 1995 farm bill.

Federals Raid Idaho Ranch Where Introduced Wolf Shot
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents last week raided the ranch where a federally protected wolf was shot when it was found eating a calf. Their conduct prompted apologies all the way from Washington, but none from the agents themselves or their immediate supervisors.

Farm Bureau Reports Property Rights Center Stage In Austin
The president of Texas’ largest farm organization said Friday that the private property rights issue is moving to "center stage" in Austin, and it’s "long past time."

Peta Pickets Kansas Beef Expo This Year For The First Time
An anti-meat animal rights activist from Washington, D.C., was informally debating with the son of a cattle rancher when they realized they agreed on at least one point.

Senate Finally Gets USDA Head Nomination
Confirmation hearings delayed by a lengthy FBI background check into financial matters have been scheduled later this month for the nomination of Dan Glickman to be U.S. agriculture secretary.

Producers At Odds With Researchers
Agriculture producers have benefited from ag research over the years, but relations between the groups are becoming strained because some researchers are know-it-alls with no practical experience, according to critics.

El Reno Dairy Sale Steady To Higher
Springers and bred heifers were sharply higher compared to last month, open heifers unevenly steady. Receipts totaled 907 head.

Taylor Ranch Lawsuit Back In Court Again
The Colorado Court of Appeals last week ordered the controversial Taylor Ranch legal battle returned to Costilla County District Court to work out a statute of limitation question.

Average Retail Beef Price Little Changed
Average retail beef prices showed little change during the past month, according to figures compiled by the National Cattlemen’s Association.

Arizona Talks Ban On Badmouthing
Bashing broccoli, lying about lettuce or disparaging dates could get you in big trouble under legislation that won the approval of an Arizona State Senate committee. That, presumably, would go as well for lambasting lamb or badmouthing beef.

Regs Backers Using Food Safety Fears
Opponents of long-awaited congressional efforts to reform the nation’s out-of-control regulatory bureaucracy have now taken to scaring people with fears of tainted food.

NASA Kills Owls; Ecos Want Blood
An animal rights group is demanding that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service penalize NASA for failing to remove a great horned owl and three hatchlings from a shuttle pad before launch.

San Saba Cattle Sell Steady To Up
Demand was strong on feeder steers, better quality and moderately fleshed heifer calves $2-6 higher, yearlings steady to strong, wheatfield kinds barely steady, slaughter cows steady to $1.50 higher, bulls $1-2 higher, stock cows, heifers and pairs steady. Receipts totaled 1398 head.

New Database To Help U.S., Mexico Trade
The newly formed Alliance of Chihuahua and Texas is offering a new database called ACTDAT (Alliance of Chihuahua and Texas Database) designed to simplify trade relations between the U.S. and Mexico.

Nation’s Feeder Cattle Trends Up And Down On Lower Volume
Feeder steers and heifers sold unevenly steady across the country last week. From a numbers standpoint, about as many sold higher as lower.

Superior Offers 25,000 Cattle In Video Auction
Superior Livestock Auction offered more than 25,000 feeder cattle in their regular video sale here. Consignments came from 25 states, Mexico and Canada.

Texas Fed Cattle Prices Lower, Feedlots Current
Slaughter steers and heifers sold steady to $1 lower last week in Texas Panhandle and Western Oklahoma feedlot trading, the decline coming after the high point on Tuesday. The market remained under pressure and was not tested late.

Angelo Feeder Cattle Higher, Lambs Steady
Feeder lambs sold steady this week, slaughter lambs steady, slaughter ewes weak to $2 lower. Receipts totaled 5195 head.

Cuero Cattle Trading Active, Demand Good
Trade was active and demand good here and in Victoria March 8. Receipts totaled 935 at the two sales.

U.S. Meat Production .4% Above A Year Ago
Total red meat production under federal inspection last week was an estimated 795.4 million pounds, 1.7 percent above the previous week and .4 percent above the same week a year ago. Accumulated production for the year to date was 1.6 percent above the same period last year.

Most Lampasas Cattle Prices Up Last Week
Feeder steers sold $2-4 higher, heifers $3-5 higher, slaughter cows and bulls $2-3 higher. Receipts totaled 600 head.

Kansas Direct Feeder Cattle Prices Lower
Feeder steers weighing 700-900 pounds sold $1-2 lower in Kansas direct trade last week, heifers 600-875 pounds weak to $1 lower. Confirmed sales totaled 7043 head.

$12,500 Nanny Tops Day Boer Goat Sale
Day’s Premium Livestock sold 71 lots of registered fullblood Boer goats and nine lots of percentage Boers here for a total of $337,000.

Most Goldthwaite Sheep, Goats Off
Feeder lambs sold $2-3 lower, slaughter lambs steady, slaughter ewes and bucks $4-6 lower; stock Angora goats not well tested, slaughter nannies and muttons $2-3 lower; Spanish goats fully steady. Receipts totaled 7400 head.

Junction Angora Goat Prices Termed Higher
Feeder lambs sold steady, slaughter ewes and bucks $3-4 lower; stock Angora nannies and muttons $2-4 higher, kids steady, slaughter nannies and muttons $2-4 higher, fat kids and yearlings $6-10 higher; Spanish goats fully steady. Receipts totaled 4400 head.

Domestic Wool Firm, Aussie Wools Uneven
Demand was fair to good for the limited available supplies of domestic wool last week, limited sales steady to firm.

Most Fredericksburg Cattle Prices Higher
Feeder steers and heifers sold strong to $1-2 higher, slaughter cows and bulls $2-3 higher. Receipts totaled 781 head.

Hindsight

Unregistered Bull in a Hotel Lobby
Choice gleanings from 45-plus years of Unregistered Bull. 
You could tell at first glance that John had been reading the papers again. He was mad.

On The Edge Of Common Sense
By Baxter Black
When you hear the term "fertility clinic," what comes to mind? Possibly middleage urban women bein’ fed herbal concoctions and soaking in perfumed spas while their husbands watch old James Bond movies and chew on an elk antler.

Pokin' Fun
By Doc Blakely
In a restaurant in Frankfort, KY, the state capital, my son Mike and I were having breakfast. Since we were wearing our trail drive hats and boots for our Swing Rider Theater Show, the waitress asked if we were entertainers. I jokingly said, "No, we are mathematicians." She never blinked an eye, just told me a story about her nine year-old son. "He came in yesterday and said, "Mom, can you loan me $100? Give me $50 now and you can owe me $50. I’ll owe you $50 and we’ll be even." I predict this kid will grow up to be either in the public-service or public-sucker sector.

Shortgrass Country
By Monte Noelke
Three weeks ago, the Ralph Chase fellowship in San Angelo hired Shelby Foote to give two lectures. Mr. Foote, you recall, stole the show with the televised Civil War documentary a few years back. He also spent 20 years writing a three-volume history of the war, becoming the leading chronicler of our biggest conflict.