WINTER CALVES have something going for them on spring markets, but it can be a long, bumpy road getting them there. Both their mothers and their owners risk a lot of stress from dormant forage and unpredictable weather. This year has been milder than most so far, and cows like this one in Southeast Texas have had the benefit of more moisture than some of their counterparts to the west.

Lamb Meat Soft Again; Lambs Hold
Fat and feeder lambs held fairly steady this week, though prices were up or down slightly in a few areas.

Plains Fed Cattle Trade Early, But Sellers Not Happy About It
Plains fed cattle traded early this week for the first time in a while, but feedlot operators by and large weren’t proud of their work. Some of their self-assessments, in fact, were downright unprintable.

PLAINS FEEDLOT SALES

RANGE SALES

EDITORIAL
Low-Flying Military Aircraft Finally Net Inevitable Tragedy
News reports say 20 skiers were killed in Italy Tuesday when a U.S. Navy aircraft on a low-altitude training flight severed the cable that held their gondola suspended hundreds of feet above the slope of a mountain. Rescuers said the scene in the crushed car was gruesome, and it doesn’t take much imagination to agree that it must have been.

"Three W’s" Underlie Science Of Soil Testing, Enhancement
There are three W's in soil testing, says a Texas A&M University Extension soil chemist.

California Ranch Shifts From Crossbred Herd To Single Sire
John Lacey, a third generation cattleman, isn’t afraid to make changes. He led the charge during the controversial merger of the beef industry organizations. Today he’s focusing on change at home.

Ram Performance Test Cancelled; Copper Levels In Ration Toxic
The annual Rambouillet Ram Performance Test conducted by the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station here has been canceled for this year, as have the subsequent field day and sale scheduled for March 19.

Wolf Backers Had Opportunity To Avoid Killing Transplants
In December 1994, ranchers in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho sued Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt to stop him from putting Canadian wolves in those three states. As part of their lawsuit, the ranchers asked Wyoming federal district judge William F. Downes to issue an order to keep Babbitt from releasing the wolves until Downes ruled on the legality of the Babbitt plan.

Study Reveals Forest Grazing Endangers No Plants, Animals
A sweeping federal study exonerates livestock grazing as a threat to so-called "endangered species" in national forests throughout the Southwest. It is drawing guarded praise from producers, but environmental activists are predictably up in arms — and their venomous reaction is garnering the lion’s share of the press.

Cattle Prices Will Be Linked To Domestic Demand For Beef
Domestic per capita consumption of red meat and poultry is projected to be a record 215.5 pounds (retail weight equivalent) in 1998, an increase of nearly four percent from 1997.

Latest Round Of CRP Signups Adds 5.9 Million More Acres
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman last Thursday announced the acceptance of 5.9 million additional acres into the federal Conservation Reserve Program this year.

Santone Vet Finds Screwworms In Hound
A veterinarian who found screwworms in a basset hound has been credited with preventing a reinfestation of the pest that cost U.S. ranchers hundreds of millions of dollars before it was controlled.

Graham Feeder Cattle Prices Steady To Off
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady to $2 lower, the decline mainly on fleshy offerings, slaughter cows and bulls $1-1.50 lower, bred cows and pairs steady.

Angelo Feeder Lambs Steady, Cattle Firm
Feeder lambs sold steady this week, slaughter lambs firm and ewes steady. Receipts totaled 8404 head.

San Saba, Brownwood, Mason Feeders Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady last week in Mason, Brownwood and San Saba, slaughter cows steady to $2 higher, bulls $2-4 higher; stock cows and bulls at special sales were in strong demand.

Abilene Feeder Steer, Heifers Prices Lower
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady to $2 lower, slaughter cows steady, bulls $2 lower, stock cows steady. Receipts totaled 1558 head.

Llano Feeder Steers Lower, Heifers Steady
Feeder steers sold $2-5 lower, weights under 650 pounds off the most, heifers fully steady, slaughter cows and bulls $1-2 lower. Receipts totaled 338 head.

Letters To The Editor

Coming Up...
February 6 — The Luling Foundation Performance Tested Bull Sale and Replacement Female Sale, Luling Livestock Auction, Luling, Texas. February 7 — Five Star Auction-eer’s Auction, Bushland, Texas. February 7 — Messner Herefords Annual Sale, at the ranch, Laverne, Oklahoma. February 7 — 7th Annual All-Breeds Bull Sale, Rio Grand Classic Livestock Auction, El Paso, Texas. February 7 — Country Cattle’s Winter Round-Up, Joplin Regional Stockyards, Joplin, Missouri.