COOLER WEATHER the last few days isn't bothering these well-insulated whiteface sheep, who doubtless welcome the respite from temperatures that have stayed higher than normal for longer than normal this fall. Whether El Nino, as predicted, reverses that trend and brings a colder than normal winter is yet to be seen, but it will have to go a ways to live up to its hype.

Heavy Lamb Meat Lower, Lights Hold
Despite a sharp decline in heavy carcass lamb prices, fat lambs sold a little higher around the country this week.

Plains Fed Cattle Regain $1 In Brief Flurry On Wednesday
Plains feedlots regained a little ground this week in a brief flurry of activity at midweek that saw most packers paying $66.

PLAINS FEEDLOT SALES

RANGE SALES

Leland Snow Manufacturers Farm Machinery That Happens To Fly
For the last 40 years, Leland Snow has been designing and building agricultural machinery. Snow's products are not tractors, plows, balers or hauling equipment, however. They are airplanes.

Century-Old Colorado Ranch Feeling Squeezed By Change
It's 22 degrees in mid-October as Bill Trampe pulls away from the place his grandfather homesteaded a century ago. Up in the high country, it's really cold.

Consulting Firm Helping Sheep Industry Identify Future Plan
A consortium of sheep industry organizations agreed to a research and analysis process aimed at giving the sheep industry a future direction.

Threats To Grazing On Public Lands Pile Deeper And Deeper
Ranchers who use public lands in New Mexico face new grazing restrictions and threatened lawsuits that could send the state's livestock industry into a tailspin.

Park Service Outhouse Shows Public's Tax Dollars At Work
Mother Nature is a nice place to visit, but many of its aficionados don't really want to go there, if you get our drift.

Senators Oppose Park Service Settlement Of Activists' Suit
A recently announced settlement of a lawsuit related to buffalo in Yellowstone National Park could result in trail closures, undermining a National Park Service promise, Wyoming's U.S. senators have said.

Groups Call For Coordination Between Federal Land Agencies
More efficiency and stability for both land managers and land users would result if federal agencies reduced overlapping and conflicting federal landmanagement policies, says the National Cattleman's Beef Association and the Public Lands Council.

CNN, Stung By Criticism, Reverses Warming Ad Ban
Stung by criticism and charges of censoring speech with which it did not agree, The Cable News Network last week reversed itself and said it would air a series of television commercials opposing a potential "global warming" treaty.

Goat Enterprise Accidental In Every Meaning Of The Word
I've had a lot of fun with ropes, and there has been a time or two that I haven't had all that much fun with 'em.

Combs Announces GOP Ag Commissioner Run
Susan Combs, fourth-generation West Texas rancher, former prosecutor and state representative, announced her candidacy here Tuesday for the Republican nomination for Texas agriculture commissioner.

San Angelo To Host Rancher Conference
Adding value to beef cattle is the theme of this year's West Texas Ranchers Conference, scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 5 at the San Angelo fairgrounds.

Oil Site Reclamation Focus Of Field Tour
A field tour set for Tuesday, October 21 will showcase current research in reclaiming oilfield damaged sites.

Sportsmen And Ag Groups Find Common Ground At Summit Meet
Top-level CEO's and presidents of 19 sportsmen and agricultural groups representing 6.6 million individuals gathered here recently for the first-ever Sportsmen/Agricultural Summitt.

Ecos Face Defamation Suit For Attack On Official
Environmental activist groups are used to attacking their opponents with impunity, leveling the wildest charges and then dancing away unscathed when those claims turn out to have been patently false.

Judge Okays Dam Fix In Wilderness Area
A federal judge has authorized motorized equipment toquickly make emergency repairs on dam in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness.

Etbauer, Whitfield Take Top Honors At Phoenix Showdown
The 1997 Original Coors Rodeo Showdown in Phoenix, was just that - a showdown.

Superior Livestock Video Sale Offering Totals 20,000 Cattle
Superior Livestock Auction offered more than 20,000 calves, feeder cattle and breeding stock in their regular video sale.

Angelo Replacement Female Offering Totals 3300 Head
Producers Livestock Auction offered 3300 females at their special replacement cattle sale. All cows and heifers were sold by the head by the pair.

Angelo Lambs Steady, Cattle Steady To Off
Slaughter lambs sold steady this week, slaughter ewes firm to $2 higher, feeder lambs generally steady.

Co-op Prices Strong For Felting Wools
Producers Marketing Co-op offered 309,000 pounds of wool here with prices reflecting the strong demand for felting style.

Llano Feeder Cattle Prices Rise Sharply
Feeder steers and heifers sold $3-5 higher, slaughter cows and bulls steady.

Milano Replacement Cattle Sell Strong
Milano Livestock Exchange sold around 1500 cattle at their annual fall replacement sale. Bidding was termed active and demand good, prices strong.

San Saba, Brownwood, Mason Feeders Mixed
Feeder steer and heifer price trends were mixed last week in Mason, Brownwood and San Saba.

Letters To The Editor

Loose Ends

Coming Up ...
October 17 — Spur Ranch’s 1997 World Series Angus Sale, at the ranch, Vinita, Oklahoma. October 17 — Angelo State University’s Sale of Performance Tested Angus Bulls and Beef Cattle Field Day, ASU Ag Facility, San Angelo, Texas. October 17 — The 1997 World Series Angus Sale, Spur Ranch, Vinita, Oklahoma.