Sheep, Lamb Prices Fall, Future Weak
Fat and feeder lambs around the country fell $2-4 this week, some sales off much more. San Angelo, where feeder lambs made up only about 10 percent of the run, was weak to $2 off. Other Texas markets were little changed.

Fed Cattle Trade In Limbo, Feedlots Hold For $71-Plus
After folding early and taking a price hit last week, Plains cattle feeders appeared to have regained their balance. They gave up no more ground, and looked determined to at least recover last week’s loss — if not more.

Cape Mohair Sale Lower, 44% Sold
The fourth winter Cape mohair sale in South Africa offered 928,000 pounds Tuesday and sold only 44 percent.

Plains Feedlot Sales

Range Sales

Husband And Wife Team Staked Their Future On Running Sheep
Husband and wife team Randy Campbell and Julie Hansmire love the sheep business. That’s evident not only in their day-to-day involvement in their ranch, but also in their commitment in promoting the industry. Ranching in the West has its own unique set of challenges, but Campbell and Hansmire view each challenge not as an obstacle but rather an opportunity.

Third-Generation Ed. D. Smith Recalls Growing Up On Matadors
Ed D. Smith is the third generation of his family to work at the historic Matador Ranch. He is also the third Ed D.

Research Shows Brush Control Is Key To Water Replenishment
Texas and many other states across the nation are critically overdrafting one of the most valuable natural resources — water — and society is already feeling the consequences.

Nitrate Poisoning Potential In Drouth-Baled Sorghum Hay
Various types of sorghum hays that were baled during last summer's dry period may contain nitrate levels high enough to be toxic to cattle being fed this winter, warns an Oklahoma forage specialist.

Babbitt And Lawmakers At Odds Over Scheme To Add Wilderness
Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt has refused to comment on a federal lawsuit accusing him of illegally reviewing potential wilderness in southern Utah.

Extension Agents Say Winter Wheat Grazing Prospects Good
They've been delayed by rains and plagued by armyworms, but the prospects for winter wheat pastures still look good. With favorable weather, production could increase from last year, reports the Texas Agricultural Extension Service.

NCBA Commends USDA For New Value Grid, Contract Reports
USDA's new weekly reports on the carcass value grid and forward contracts of slaughter cattle will provide producers improved market information and will promote competition in the marketplace, says the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.

Kansas Farmers Tell Officials They Don’t Want To Lose CRP
Many western Kansas farmers told officials they don't want millions of acres to be cut from a federal program that idles erodible land.

Wyoming Outlines Plan To Stop Yellowstone Buffalo With Bangs
Buffalo wandering out of Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks will be kept out of cattle grazing allotments either by hazing or hunting, according to the state Game and Fish Department.

EPA Spent Freely To "Train" Brass At High-Dollar Resorts
The Environmental Protection Agency has spent more than $1 million since 1993 on training seminars at ritzy resorts or on subjects unrelated to environment, such as "defensive driving" or speed-reading courses, according to congressional investigators.

Top Food Inspection Official Checks Out
The U.S. Agriculture Department official who ushered in this year's overhaul of meat safety inspections will leave in mid-November, Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said late last week.

Texas Wetlands Plan Available In Draft
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, in cooperation with numerous other entities, has recently completed a draft version of the State Wetlands Conservation Plan for Texas. The plan, says TPWD, focuses on "non-regulatory, voluntary approaches" to conserving wetlands in the state.

Animal Rights Stunt Planned At Tax Time
It’s amazing what turns up on the Internet. Livestock Weekly has learned of plans by one of the nation’s animal rights activist groups to launch a nationwide protest of predator control activities at tax time, April 15.

PRCA Season Finale Approaching; Theriot Leading In All-Around
PRCA’s season finale, the National Finals Rodeo, is fast approaching and it appears that calf roper Herbert Theriot, Poplarville, Miss., has all but sewn up the all-around cowboy competition. Theriot leads with $115,274. He is followed by Chad Klein, Jackson, La., with $91,552; Roy Cooper, Childress, Texas, $85,968; Brent Lewis, Eloy, Ariz., $84,645; and Tee Woolman, Llano, Texas; $79,680.

Feeder Cattle And Calf Prices Steady To Off Again Last Week
Yearling steers and heifers sold steady to $1 lower around the country last week while calves moved weak to $2 off. Cheaper feed costs did not stimulate yearling buyers to aggressively acquire numbers in the face of eroding fed cattle prices.

Cattle On Feed Down 3 Percent In Seven Main Feeding States
Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter Oct. 1 in the seven leading feeding states totaled 7.49 million head, down three percent from Oct. 1 of last year but up three percent from the same date two years ago.

Texas Fed Cattle Prices Lower Again In Mostly Two-Day Trade
Slaughter steers and heifers sold $1 lower in Texas Panhandle and Western Oklahoma feedlot trading last week. Trade was active Monday and Tuesday when most of the movement took place, turned slow on Wednesday and was at a standstill on Thursday.

Angelo Feeder Lambs, Cattle Trend Lower
Feeder lambs sold weak to $2 lower this week, slaughter lambs scarce, slaughter ewes weak to $2 lower. Receipts totaled 11,736 head, predominantly slaughter ewes.

Choice Feeders Rise At Jordan Auctions
Choice feeder steers and heifers sold steady to $3 higher in Mason, Brownwood and San Saba last week, plainer kinds $1-5 lower, replacement heifers and stock cows active, slaughter cows and bulls steady. Receipts totaled 3889 head in the three sales.

Fredericksburg Feeder Cattle Prices Lower
Feeder steers and heifers sold $1-2 lower, slaughter cows and bulls steady. Receipts totaled 1515 head.

Goldthwaite Feeder Lamb Prices Steady
Feeder lambs sold steady, slaughter lambs steady, ewes and bucks mostly steady, stock ewes steady; stock Angora nannies steady to $2 higher, muttons fully steady, kids and yearlings steady, slaughter muttons and billies mostly steady, nannies mostly steady, nannies and muttons fully steady; Spanish nannies fully steady, billies $2-3 lower, kids and yearlings $2-3 lower, muttons $4-5 lower.

Cuero Feeder Steers, Heifers Trade Steady
Good and choice feeder steers and heifers sold steady in active trade, lesser grades lower, packer cows and bulls steady, fat cows off. Receipts totaled 1865 head.

Rocking Chair Bulls Bring $1783 Per Head
The Rocking Chair Ranch sold 45 and one-half bulls for a total of $81,150 at their annual production sale here, an average of $1783 per head. Fifteen females grossed $22,200 and averaged $1480.

Kansas Direct Feeder Steers, Heifers Lower
Feeder steers sold weak to $2 lower, heifers weak to $1 lower. Weather was mild with no moisture, a light frost hitting the area Friday. Sales were confirmed on 5610 head.

Junction Lambs Steady, Stock Angoras Higher
Feeder lambs sold steady, slaughter ewes mostly steady; stock Angora kids and yearlings $1-2 higher, nannies steady, muttons fully steady, slaughter classes steady; slaughter Spanish nannies steady to $1 higher, muttons and billies steady, kids and yearlings $4-5 lower. Receipts totaled 5800 head.

Llano Feeder Steers Steady, Heifers Off
Feeder steers sold fully steady, bull calves steady to $2 lower, heifers $2 lower, slaughter cows weak to $3 lower, bulls $1 lower. Receipts totaled 770 head.

Most Milano Cattle Prices Held Steady
Feeder steers and heifer sold steady, slaughter cows and bulls steady. Receipts totaled 1570 head.

R.A. Brown Averages $1697 On 270 Bulls
The 22nd annual R.A. Brown Ranch bull sale here averaged $1697 on 270 head. Buyers were from 13 states and Mexico. Eighteen Quarter horse weanlings averaged $1825 per head, with a top of $2500.

U.S. Meat Production 6.1% Below A Year Ago
Total red meat production under federal inspection last week was estimated at 812.9 million pounds, 1.3 percent more than a week earlier and 6.1 percent less than a year ago. Cumulative meat production for the year to date was 34.1 billion pounds, .7 percent less than the previous year.

Junction High Dollar Stock Heifers Higher
Choice feeder steers and heifers sold steady to strong in the special High Dollar calf and yearling sale at Junction Stockyards, stock heifers $5-7 higher, plain calves mostly $1 lower. Receipts totaled 661 head.

Domestic Wool Slow, Aussie Finewools Up
Trading on domestic wool was slow under light demand last week. In Montana the Madison-Jefferson Pool sold 3000 fleeces of whiteface 58/60s, bellies out and untied, at 71.6 cents grease, f.o.b. the collection point; also 1200 fleeces of blackface 50/56s at 42.6 cents, bellies 40.6 cents, tags 16 cents. Near 40,000 pounds high yielding whiteface 64s lamb wool, 1½-2 inches, sold at 62 cents grease f.o.b. the feedlot.

Hindsight

Letters To The Editor

Unregistered Bull in a Hotel Lobby
Choice gleanings from 45-plus years of Unregistered Bull. 
"One thing I can’t figure about this fella DiSalle," said John this week, "is how he can stick his neck out so far when, from the pictures I’ve seen of him, he has about as long a guzzler as the grand champion steer in the American Royal."

On The Edge Of Common Sense
By Baxter Black
"CLINTON SIGNS DELANEY REFORM BILL," was how the headline read, but most of us in the scientific community interpreted the headline to read, "Lunatics Lose!"

Pokin' Fun
By Doc Blakely
The clothing industry must be a high-class business, right? Advertising must be done in a serious manner, right? Names must be chosen carefully, right?

Shortgrass Country
By Monte Noelke
As late as the flight to Costa Rica in the fall, I scanned the dogmas of two churches. Two seemed to be the number. One letter referred to an Anglican parish in San Jose; a second mentioned the Catholic Mass in the village of Escazu. Nowadays nothing stays the same. The little brown church of a friend's childhood may end up meaning a meditation session staring at a glass fish bowl off of a red prayer rug in his dotage.

Wildlife By Design
By Dale Rollins, Ph.D
When I talk to a group of ranchers about deer management, I often ask for a show of hands to two questions. First, how many of you are making money from deer hunting? Nearly every hand shoots up.

It's The Pitts
By Lee Pitts
If a "Most Valuable Player Award" was ever given at an auction it wouldn’t go to the auctioneer, the cowboys out back or the fellows in the ring, although these folks play a key role in marketing your cattle. No, the person with the most important job is that person sitting next to the auctioneer jotting down prices. It is usually a woman, and if she doesn’t get it right bad things happen to good people.

The Computer & The Cowboy
By C.A. Rodenberger, Ph.D
Things are looking up for getting on the Internet for more of us in the boonies. Danny and Vicki Otts from Brady contacted me by e-mail to ask about software for their cattle operation. I noticed that they were using a provider called Centex.