Holiday Trade Pushes Fat Lambs Lower
Most Texas markets were closed this week to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday period. Midwest markets moved slaughter lambs sharply lower although there was a slight improvement on Wednesday. Slaughter ewes were sharply higher and feeder lambs sold steady to a little weaker.

Plains Fed Cattle Sell Steady In Early Tuesday Trade At $63
Plains fed cattle prices held steady at $63 in somewhat limited holiday trading this week. Most of the action came Tuesday morning. Packers broke their bids back to $62 by about noon, and that snuffed sellers’ interest. With the holiday looming, Wednesday was a quiet day.

Plains Feedlot Sales

Range Sales

TSCRA Leader Says Death Tax Changes Likely In Near Future
Federal estate tax laws are long overdue for a change, says the head of Texas’ largest cattle industry organization, and that change could be coming soon.

Massacre In Las Animas Canyon Led To End Of Apache Victorio
Indian legend maintains that rain at a funeral means the gods are weeping over the death of a great man. Black clouds boil up over the Black Range Mountains as Michael Cody, a retired U.S. Army general, addresses a gathering along Animas Creek. 

Montana, Feds Agree On Plan To Control Bangs In Buffalo
The federal agencies that Montana sued over Yellowstone National Park's wandering buffalo have come a long way in dealing with them, Gov. Marc Racicot says.

Gadfly Group Stops Timber, Now Sets Sights On Grazing
An environmental activist group that has challenged numerous timber sales in national forests is girding to battle the Forest Service over cattle grazing along Southwestern rivers.

Ecos Don’t Like Benefactors Finding Out About Activities
The way the left sees it, freedom of speech is a one-way street — and it runs their way. A U.S. Forest Service official has apologized for a ranger's letter that said agency employees were tired of environmental activists treating them as ignorant and incompetent.

"Green" Education Tactics Raise Eyebrows, Complaints
When Palmer High School students dressed up as birds, dragonflies and panthers, they set out to make a point they had been taught about the environment: Humans are destroying it.

Ralph Heitshusen One of Few Farmer-Feeders Left In Iowa
Ralph Heitshusen has been a Cornbelt farmer-feeder all his life, but it seems he’s part of a dwindling breed.

$8.3M Settlement By Conagra Accepted In Grain Fraud Case
ConAgra Inc. began payment recently on an $8.3 million settlement in a grain fraud scheme that bilked farmers and grain buyers out of millions of dollars.

High Court Rules In Favor Of Ag Industry Promotions
Beef industry officials are breathing a sigh of relief after the United Supreme Court upheld the U.S. Department of Agriculture's ability to assess commodity producers for generic advertising and promotion costs.

Environment Second To Money For Ecos
Some environmental activist groups are becoming more concerned with their own survival than with the health of the environment, say Wyoming Gov. Jim Geringer and a mining industry official.

EPA Head’s Pro-Gay E-Mail Unwelcome
It’s one thing to deliberately overstate the supposed benefits of regulations and understate their costs by tens of billions of dollars, but many EPA staffers are drawing the line at their boss’s order to recognize "Gay Pride" month and celebrate a 1969 riot.

Extension Provides Training Programs For FSA Borrowers
The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service will provide training sessions beginning in August for FSA borrowers seeking to fulfill terms of their loan agreements.

Texas Surface Water Disputes Multiply During Drouth Years
In most areas of Texas, the honor system has governed compliance with water rights. This informal system works fine when there is ample water. It does not work in times of shortages such as were experienced last summer.

Unser To Appeal Conviction For Wilderness Snowmobiling
For former race driver Bobby Unser, it’s a matter of principle; the government shouldn’t be allowed to punish people — even nominally — for things they didn’t do. For one of his eco-activist opponents, it’s a matter of winning; her side did, right or wrong, and now Unser should suffer mistreatment "graciously."

Federal Forest Policy Setting Stage For Huge Conflagration
Within the past few days summer has come to the American West, carrying with it visions of long hot days, weekends by the pool, picnics, and family vacations. For westerners in timber country, however, summer brings a more frightening specter — forest fires!

Forest Service Wins The War; Diamond Bar Cattle Removed
Cowboys have shipped the last cattle off the Diamond Bar ranch, marking a milestone in a long grazing dispute between the federal government and rancher Kit Laney.

Struggle Over Motorboat Rules Has Much Broader Implications
The battle is over motorboats, not grazing, and it’s going on a long way from ranch country, but a federal court case in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula could have a significant impact on property rights throughout the United States, particularly in areas where public lands predominate and private landowners have found federal agencies to be increasingly intrusive neighbors.

Rancher Hits Assessor With Criminal Charge
A self-described "constitutionalist" has used a little-known state law to file criminal charges against the former Montrose County assessor.

Emergency Rules On Haying CRP Land Too Restrictive For Some
Guidelines for the emergency program allowing ranchers to cut hay on land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program are getting mixed reviews in North Dakota.

Superior Livestock Video Sale Offering Totals 38,000 Cattle
Superior Livestock Auction offered almost 38,000 feeder cattle at their regularly scheduled video sale. Consignments were from 24 states and Mexico.

Angelo Feeder Steers, Heifers Trade Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady last week, slaughter cows and bulls firm to $1 higher, stock cows and pairs moderately higher. Receipts totaled 2418 head.

Producers Video Auction Sale Totals 13,000 Head
Producers Video Auction offered 13,400 feeder cattle at their regularly scheduled video sale. Delivery was mostly July through October.

San Saba Feeder Heifers Score Gains
Feeder steers sold steady, heifers $1-3 higher, slaughter cows $1 higher, bulls steady. Receipts totaled 611 head, totals for the week including Mason and Brownwood held to only 1007 due to heavy rains.

Unregistered Bull In A Hotel Lobby
Choice gleanings from 45-plus years of Unregistered Bull.
"I see," said John, "where something over a thousand employees of the OPS have been laid off in order to cut down expenses. Taxpayers will probably be glad to hear of this economy move, though it seems sort of drastic as it leaves the OPS awfully shorthanded with only about 11,000 people on the payroll.

On The Edge Of Common Sense 
By Baxter Black
Today there is an increased recognition of the bonding process between man and animals. Pets are now referred to in politically correct circles as "companion animals." Companion: by definition an associate, a comrade. It's not a bad choice of words in a world where families get fractionated, children leave home, neighbors don't know each other and people get lonely. A pet can be a good companion.

Pokin' Fun
By Doc Blakely
Deep East Texas. The Annual Loblolly Bash. It starts about 4 p.m. on a 40-acre pine farm where white jacketed waiters pass among the pine cones, dishing out such delicacies as Swedish meatballs, cheese dips, corn fritters, and soft meal hot tamales. And salt, lots of salt, so a proper thirst can be developed to take advantage of liquid refreshments. Some fellows showed up with their own salt block and licked so much that those who wore wire-rimmed glasses had them rusted right off their eyes.

Shortgrass Country
By Monte Noelke
Like most people who live on the outskirts of San Angelo, I have to catch a ride to town every once in awhile to pick up my car at the mechanic’s shop. Also, modern automobiles cost so much to repair, owners need a driver in the early stages of checkbook trauma brought on from learning such horrors as a reconditioned fuel pump costs $350 installed, or a front end job on a ranch pickup runs 600 bucks.