Fat, Feeder Lambs, Lamb Meat Steady
Only minor price changes occurred around the country on fat and feeder lambs, and the carcass market was steady last week as well.

No Movement Seen In Slaughter Cattle Trade Through Midweek
Fed cattle trading remained at a standstill through midweek as packers offered $70 and Plains feedlots stood firm on a steady $72.

Plains Feedlot Sales

Range Sales

T4 Ranch Has Been Test Site For New Mexico Brush Control
The T4 Ranch covers nearly 200,000 acres and supports a commercial herd of 2650 Hereford and black baldy cows along with a performance tested herd of 150 cows, but driving across the pastures with owner Phillip Bidegain, it's the brush control efforts he points out.

New Lamb Slaughter Facility Breaks Ground At San Angelo
The long-awaited Ranchers’ Lamb of Texas Inc. lamb slaughtering plant finally broke ground Monday, in an afternoon ceremony that saw local and industry dignitaries at the business ends of a long row of shovels.

ADM Files $30 Million Lawsuit Against Price-Fixing Informant
In another move to undercut the credibility of a main witness in a price-fixing case, Archer Daniels Midland has sued former executive Mark E. Whitacre for $30 million.

Clinton Locks Up 1.7 Million Acres Of Utah Land With Decree
In a thinly veiled slap at a solidly Republican state — and an obvious play for the votes of environmental activists — President Clinton last week issued a presidential decree locking away nearly two million acres of Utah land as a "national monument."

Winslow/Black Records Donated To ASU West Texas Collection
Historians particularly interested in the sheep and goat industries can now access historical accounts from two early-day West Texas pioneer families at the West Texas Collection at Angelo State University.

Rancher Says He Owns The Land In Disputed Grazing Allotment
A rancher ordered by the U.S. Forest Service to reduce his herd on a grazing allotment in the Gila National Forest says he owns the land and he's not going to let federal authorities take his ranch.

Clinton Administration Changes Rules On Eligibility For CRP
Plains-state lawmakers have attacked a planned overhaul of the Conservation Reserve Program that could bring millions of acres of idled farmland in the Upper Midwest back into production.

USDA "Fact Sheet" Gives Info For Sheep Referendum Voting
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is offering information to help sheep producers determine who can vote in Tuesday’s referendum on the wool and lamb checkoff program. Voting procedures remain the same as for an earlier referendum vote, but inconsistencies in the way those procedures were followed invalidated the results of the first referendum.

Thompson Named Texas Beef Council Chairman
The Texas Beef Council’s board of directors has elected Chaunce O. Thompson Jr. of Breckenridge as its chairman and Jim Williams of Boling as vice chairman for its fiscal year starting Oct. 1.

Babbitt’s New Tax Idea Flops; Clinton Lets Him Hang By It
With a call for new federal taxes on everything from hiking boots to off-road vehicles, Clinton Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt last week gave GOP presidential nominee Bob Dole an opportunity for a number of one-liners, and forced his boss’s campaign to scramble to cover its tracks.

Nature, Not Man, Biggest Threat To Stability Of Global Climate
While worries about the shifting climate have focused on so-called "greenhouse warming" in recent years, researchers say the biggest threat could come from Mother Nature's "normal" weather variety.

Northwest Fires Cause Scramble To Replace Livestock Grazing
Every day, David Drollinger is reminded of how close the Cox's Well fire came to him.

Jury Returns A Guilty Verdict In Espy Influence-Buying Case
Friendship between the lobbyist at a top agribusiness company and former Clinton administration Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy cannot excuse gifts of luggage, fancy meals and high-priced sports tickets, prosecutors contended last week. Tuesday a jury agreed, finding the company guilty of making illegal gratuities and illegal campaign contributions.

NM Indians Want To Manage State-Owned Buffalo Herd
Indian tribes, stressing a spiritual connection to their "buffalo brothers," told New Mexico Game Commission members last week they want to help manage New Mexico's only publicly owned herd of bison.

Farm Bureau Says Alternative To Property Tax Must Be Found
Some observers of the Texas political scene insist that the current study of the state's unpopular property tax system will have no immediate impact. Maybe so, and maybe that's just wishful thinking due to reluctance to tackle the touchy subject.

Activists Want Vote To Force Stockmen Off Their Own Land
Rebuffed by the Oregon Legislature, environmental activists are asking the state’s voters to force farmers and ranchers to fence their livestock out of streams on their own land.

Gramm Faults Clinton’s USDA For Dragging Out Drouth Aid
The U.S. Agriculture Department isn't working fast enough in ruling on disaster requests by Texas Gov. George W. Bush for federal emergency loans for farmers and ranchers in dozens of Texas counties, says Sen. Phil Gramm.

Ranchers Must Sell The Public On Importance Of Changing ESA
Public support and changes to the federal Endangered Species Act are vital for ranchers facing more and more conflicts with predators, officials say.

Navajos Tone Down Demands On Water
The Navajo Nation has softened its stance on how much water it owns in the San Juan River.

"Real" Humane Officer Enlists Activist Help
The Humane Federation of Wyoming's latest member is an employee of the state Livestock Board.

Feedgrain Production Expected To Rise 22%
U.S. farmers are expected to produce 254 million metric tons of feed grains this year, a gain of more than 22 percent from last year.

GOP, Demo Senators Join On Cattle Bill
Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., says he supports Republican Sen. Larry Pressler's attempt to get Congress to pass catch-all legislation to help cattle producers. 

Ag Loan Mediation Program To Survive
A Texas Tech program that provides mediation for farmers and ranchers with delinquent loans likely will stay afloat another year.

Herbicide Trial On For Saltcedar In NM
A new weed killer has been sprayed on 4000 acres of saltcedar in the Pecos Valley in an effort to eradicate the prolific non-native plant that sucks the precious water needed by native plants.

Feeder Cattle Prices Steady To Slightly Higher Last Week
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady to $1 higher across the country last week.

Texas Fed Cattle Trade Slow, Steady, Movement Sharply Off
Slaughter steers and heifers sold steady in Texas Panhandle and Western Oklahoma feedlot trading last week. Sales were confirmed on 41,200 head compared to 196,000 the previous week.

Cattle On Feed Down 8 Percent In Seven Main Feeding States
Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter Sept. 1 in the seven leading feeding states totaled 6.61 million head, down eight percent from Sept. 1 of last year and five percent below the same date two years ago.

Angelo Feeder Steers, Heifers, Lambs Firm
Feeder lambs sold firm this week, slaughter lambs too limited for a test, slaughter ewes firm to $2 higher. Two day receipts totaled 12,557 head.

Cuero Feeder Cattle Strong To Higher
Trading was active and demand strong, lower grade feeders selling higher. Receipts totaled 1165 head.

Most Llano Feeder Cattle Sell Steady
Better grading feeder steers and heifers sold steady, fleshy calves and bull calves under pressure, slaughter cows steady to $4 higher, bulls $2 lower. Receipts totaled 507 head.

Ozona’s Wool Houses Set Sales October 9
The Ozona Wool and Mohair Co. and Wool Growers Central Storage Co. have scheduled wool sales on Wednesday, October 9. The Ozona Wool and Mohair sale will start at 10 a.m., the Wool Growers sale at 2 p.m.

Most Lampasas Feeder Cattle Prices Lower
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady to $1 lower, slaughter cows steady to weak, bulls steady to $2 lower. Receipts totaled 1112 head.

San Saba Feeder Cattle Sell Higher
Feeder steer and heifer calves sold $2-4 higher, yearlings active. Receipts totaled 2414 head for a special calf and yearling sale.

Fredericksburg Feeder Steers, Heifers Strong
Feeder steers and heifers sold strong, slaughter cows and bulls $1-2 lower. Receipts totaled 1098 head.

Kansas Direct Feeder Cattle Mostly Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold mostly steady in Kansas direct trade last week. The weather was wet and cool, and parts of western Kansas received up to six inches of rain. The grain harvest is slow and wheat planting is spotty. Sales were confirmed on 11,687 head.

Average Beef Price Steady Last Month
Average retail beef prices showed little change during the past month, says the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.

Goldthwaite Feeder Lamb Prices Higher
Feeder lambs sold steady to $2 higher, slaughter ewes and bucks $2 higher; stock Angora nannies $7-8 higher, muttons $2 lower, slaughter muttons and billies fully steady, nannies steady to $2 higher; slaughter Spanish kids and yearlings mostly steady, muttons and billies steady, stock nannies mostly steady, billies fully steady. Receipts totaled 4400 head.

Domestic Wool Slow, Aussie Wools Mixed
Trading on domestic wool was generally slow last week. Demand was light and most remaining supplies were held in tight hands.

Hindsight

Letters To The Editor

Unregistered Bull in a Hotel Lobby
Choice gleanings from 45-plus years of Unregistered Bull. 
"From where I am," said John, "it looks like the OPS is having more trouble than a near-sighted man judging a beauty contest. Every time they make a move, somebody slaps ‘em.

On The Edge Of Common Sense
By Baxter Black
Mr. Moses remarked the other day he'd received a catalog in the mail from a western clothing outfit. He wasn't sure who the outfit catered to, but the name 'Long Island' seemed to stick in his mind.

Pokin' Fun
By Doc Blakely
Gadsden, Alabama, has a hotel called the Downtowner Motor Inn. Years ago I stayed there. The genial host was Tom Cross, who belies the slang interpretation of his last name.

Shortgrass Country
By Monte Noelke
Associations interested in protecting public speakers and their audiences plan to require all spellbinders to have malpractice insurance before taking a job. Ministers, both frocked and unfrocked, come under the act. Depending on the immunity of the offices, politicians will be treated on an individual basis under a special windbag and spellbinder exemption. 

Wildlife By Design
By Dale Rollins, Ph.D
How badly has the drouth hurt my deer numbers? How many deer should I let my hunters take this fall? How many bucks? Does?