Good Rains Hold Lambs Off Market
Heavy rains occurred over a large portion of Texas early this week and practically cut off all feeder lamb movement in the area. Auction market numbers were cut in half and direct movement was almost non-existent.

Slaughter Trade Up $1 To $71; Feedlots Remain Quite Current
Feedlots finally managed to do this week what they tried and failed to get done last week — they pushed prices off high center at $70. And in the Panhandle, at least, they sold half again as many cattle as they offered.

Plains Feedlot Sales

Range Sales

"Ghost Waltz" Of Fort Union Is Good Tale, Even If Untrue
"If I cannot have you, no one else ever shall," the dashing young cavalry officer said before he rode to his death. "I will come back to make my claim, dead or alive."

Top Stream-Fencing Petitioner Arrested For Shooting Cattle
A radical ballot initiative that would force Oregon stockmen to fence along thousands of miles of streams looked likely to pass as recently as last week.

Wyoming Ousts Feds From Panel Over Meddling By Bruce Babbitt
A council formed to provide state-level input about the management of federal lands in Wyoming will operate in the future without federal authority, Gov. Jim Geringer announced last week.

Dozens Vying To Provide Home For Beef Co-Op Packing Plant
Ryan Taylor knew it would happen eventually — the phone calls, the unsolicited offers, the pleas. He just didn't think it would start so soon.

Dole, Kemp Ticket Makes Pledge On Agricultural, Rural Issues
With its focus on big labor, big money and big scandals, the 1996 presidential race has put relatively little emphasis on agriculture. Producers who get most of their campaign coverage from the national press can be forgiven for feeling like stepchildren.

Study Says Small Rural Banks Will Take Up Ag Lending Slack
Fewer business loans and steady acquisitions, that's what happens when small banks are swallowed by larger corporations, according to a Federal Reserve study.

Species Act Serves To Harm, Not Help, Endangered Species
Some California farmers have stopped providing wildlife habitat for fear they will face Endangered Species Act restrictions on the use of their land.

World Grain Forecast Keeps Getting Bigger
Revised forecasts released late last week by the International Grains Council point to a bigger recovery than previously expected in world grain production this season.

USDA To Boost Beef Purchases, Says NCBA
USDA has announced a "bonus" beef buy, says the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. NCBA had advocated the purchase as a way to move more product at a critical marketing time for producers.

Half A Decade Brings Changes In Lamb And Wool Statistics
Looking back at historical values and volumes in the lamb and wool trade turns up some peculiar observations.

New Mexico Ranchers Plan Legal Defense
Ranchers concerned about U.S. Forest Service efforts to force them to reduce their herds on grazing allotments are fighting back.

Center Promotes Idea Of Buffalo Research
What do you get when you treat a buffalo like a cow?
No one knows. That's why buffalo producers are proposing a feeding research site at the Carrington Research Extension Center. Ranchers now have to rely on cattle research, but experts say the two species don't have enough in common.

Hunter Kills Grizzly At Point-Blank Range
A Kalispell-area man killed a charging grizzly bear with a shotgun at such point-blank range that he could feel the muzzle blast deflecting off the bear's body.

Wyoming Wool Growers Mull State Checkoff
Wyoming wool growers may get an alternative way to raise promotional funds if a national checkoff program for producers fails next month.

Feeder Cattle And Calf Prices Were Little Changed Last Week
Prices for feeder cattle and calves were little changed across the country from the previous week. The most notable exception was in the western and Mountain states, where prices were steady to $2 higher.

Most Texas Fed Cattle Prices Steady Last Week, Volume Down
Slaughter steers and heifers sold mostly steady in Texas Panhandle and Western Oklahoma feedlot trading last week, instances $1 lower early.

Superior Livestock Video Sale Offering Totals 18,000 Cattle
Superior Livestock Auction offered more than 18,000 feeder steers and heifers in their regular video sale here. Consignments were from 22 states.

Angelo Feeder Lambs, Steers, Heifers Off
Feeder lambs sold weak to $5 lower this week, weights over 80 pounds suffering the full loss. Slaughter lambs were not well tested, slaughter ewes $3-4 higher, instances $5-7 higher. Heavy rains over the entire area held receipts to 6854 head.

Better Cuero Feeder Cattle Prices Steady
Good and choice feeder calves and yearlings sold about steady in active trading, lower grades lower. Receipts totaled 1920 head.

Brownwood, San Saba, Mason Feeders Steady
Choice feeder steers and heifers sold steady in Mason, San Saba and Brownwood last week, fleshy heifers $2-4 lower, plain and short kinds still meeting strong resistance. Slaughter cows and bulls were steady. Receipts totaled 3418 head at the three sales.

Goldthwaite Lambs, Stock Angoras Lower
Feeder lambs sold $3-4 lower, slaughter lambs $4-5 lower, slaughter ewes and bucks mostly steady, stock ewes $5-6 higher; stock Angora nannies $2-3 lower, muttons $3-4 lower, kids and yearlings mostly steady, slaughter muttons and billies steady, nannies fully steady, kids and yearlings $3-4 lower, thin nannies and muttons steady; slaughter Spanish nannies $2-3 higher, muttons steady, kids and yearlings $3-4 lower, stock nannies $2-3 higher, billies steady. Receipts totaled 4400 head.

U.S. Meat Production 5.5% Below A Year Ago
Total red meat production under federal inspection last week was estimated at 818.2 million pounds, .5 percent more than a week ago and 5.5 percent less than a year ago. Cumulative meat production for the year to date was .8 percent less than the previous year at 34.7 billion pounds.

Fredericksburg Feeder Cattle Prices Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady, slaughter cows and bulls $1 lower. Receipts totaled 1387 head.

Most Giddings Feeder Cattle Prices Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold mostly steady, spots higher on choice calves, slaughter cows steady, stock cows and heifers steady to $10 higher. Receipts totaled 529 head.

Llano Steers Steady, Heifers Trade Lower
Feeder steers sold steady, heifers $1-2 lower, slaughter cows and bulls $2 lower. Receipts totaled 364 head.

Junction Lambs Lower, Most Angoras Higher
Feeder lambs sold $2-3 lower, slaughter ewes $1-2 lower; stock Angora nannies mostly steady, muttons $2-3 higher, kids and yearlings steady to $2 higher, slaughter muttons and billies $2-3 higher, nannies $3-4 higher, kids and yearlings $3-4 higher, thin nannies and muttons fully steady; slaughter Spanish nannies fully steady, muttons and billies $5-6 higher, kids and yearlings $4-5 higher, stock nannies fully steady. Receipts totaled 3000 head.

Lampasas Feeder Steer, Heifer Prices Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold fully steady, slaughter cows $1-2 lower, bulls steady. Receipts totaled 1454 head.

September Red Meat Production Down 8%
Commercial red meat production for the United States totaled 3.39 billion pounds during September, down eight percent from the previous year. September 1996 contained one fewer Saturday than in 1995.

Kansas Direct Feeder Cattle Mostly Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold mostly steady in Kansas direct trade last week. Three to five inches of snow fell Tuesday, but the weather otherwise was mild. Sales were confirmed on 13,933 head.

Domestic Wool Slow, Aussie Wools Higher
Trading on domestic wool was slow under light demand.
Montana’s Yellowstone pool sold 25,000 pounds of whiteface choice 62s, bellies out untied, at 75 cents grease, f.o.b. collection points, 60s at 70 cents, regular style 58/60s at 65 cents, bellies 40 cents, 6000 pounds blackface 54/58s 45 cents.

Most Milano Cattle Prices Ruled Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady to firm, slaughter cows and bulls steady. Receipts totaled 2135 head.

Hindsight

Unregistered Bull in a Hotel Lobby
Choice gleanings from 45-plus years of Unregistered Bull. 
"By golly," said John, "I believe I need to see a doctor. For some reason, I feel too good all over. Maybe it’s just because some parts of the country got pretty good rains, which demonstrates such a thing is still possible. Or maybe it’s just my liver hitting on all four cylinders again like it used to about 20 years ago.

On The Edge Of Common Sense
By Baxter Black
In hunting camp an outfitter reached down and stirred the fire.
His client belched contentedly and said, "Might, I inquire,
That jerky you been chewin' on... could I just try a bit?
I fancy I'm a connoisseur with tongue and palate fit

Pokin' Fun
By Doc Blakely
There is an old story about a man who was asked the question, "How’s your wife?" His answer was, "Compared to what?"

Shortgrass Country
By Monte Noelke
Briefing for the September trip to Costa Rica took less research than other countries. Rare is a travel magazine published without a feature on the rain forest aerial tram running over the tops of the jungle, or a story of the butterfly farms, or the abundant bird population. Thirty percent of Costa Rica is in national parks. Much material on nature is available because of this big development.

The Computer & The Cowboy
By C.A. Rodenberger, Ph.D
We hear horror stories of computers causing problems due to errors in the software or due to human input, but my computer saved me from a horrendous mistake by my bank. I am using PC banking software from NationsBank to keep track of my bank balance because my wife writes checks that I don’t know about.