REFRESHING, inside and out, a full stock tank can be a lifesaver when temperatures hover above the century mark for days on end. Despite welcome rains through a wide swath of Texas on and around Memorial Day, tanks across much of the state are dangerously low. These cattle in the Rolling Plains are on country that missed the recent showers but still has water left over from earlier rains.

Lamb Carcass Prices Take $12-46 Jump
The East Coast lamb trade went crazy last week. Prices were anywhere from $12 to $46 higher, and all weights settled in the same price range of $150.50-152. How can the value of a meat item be changed $46 in one day?

Plains Cattle Feeders Defy Lower Bids, Force Market Up
A stronger futures board and a smaller showlist gave Plains cattle feeders the ammunition to turn back still lower bids this week. In the end, they put a dollar on last week’s market.

PLAINS FEEDLOT SALES

RANGE SALES

Illness Turns Cowboy’s Focus To Drawing And Old Stories
When lesser men would have given up, Grem Lee decided to set a new goal for his life.

Anticipating Sickness Works On Ranch To Rail Consignees
The researchers call it "preshipment metaphylaxis." The cowboys call it "keeping the calves headed to the feedyard from getting sick."

Fire Experts Looking Into Certification Program
A group of professional and private experts in the field of prescribed burning met here recently to discuss the possibility of implementing a certification program for prescribed burning.

As Groundwork For More Control, EPA Brands Ag "Worst Polluter"
Ranchers and farmers should brace themselves for another assault on their rights and livelihoods; federal regulators have launched the latest in a string of crusades to vilify production agriculture and expand their own power.

Media Ignores Real Scandals, Diverts Attention Elsewhere
Is the media in denial? Web Hubbell admits during a taped conversation that he received $700,000 on which he paid no taxes and the big news story is how the tapes were released.

Beef Co-Op Schedules Second Funding Drive
A regional beef cooperative has scheduled 10 meetings for its second equity drive.

Inspectors’ Union Lashes Out At HACCP In Meat Inspection
Engaging in the same sort of tactics that torpedoed an earlier effort to streamline federal meat inspection, the union representing many of the nation’s meat and poultry inspectors is crying wolf over the "hazard analysis and critical control points" process.

Farm Labor Unions Find Tool In Much-Opposed Trade Treaty
U.S. labor unions have found a new tool in an old nemesis — The North American Free Trade Agreement that they tried so hard to kill.

Cloned Calves Carry "Dolly" Principles A Step Further
Using cloning techniques similar to those that created the sheep Dolly, researchers have produced six genetically identical calves in an important step toward building herds of "designer" cattle.

Feds Promise To Fund Buffalo Bangs Vaccine
A federal official is promising an increased effort to eliminate brucellosis from Yellowstone National Park buffalo.

Winfrey Trial Motion Deadline Announced
A federal judge here has set late June as the deadline for responses to motions in the second lawsuit brought against Oprah Winfrey by Texas cattlemen.

Wyoming Wool Growers Asking For Limits On Lamb Imports
Representatives of the Wyoming Wool Growers Association have asked the state's congressional delegates to take action to curb erosion the U.S. lamb market has experienced following a flood of low-priced imports, officials said.

Conagra, Farmland Ink Grain Alliance
Farmland Industries Inc., the nation's largest farmer-owned cooperative, announced last week that it is forming a grain marketing and service alliance with ConAgra Inc.

Snake Sneak Attack Under Investigation
Next on the agenda: five-day waiting periods for duct tape and a ban on assault reptiles?

Cougar Attack Closes Trails At Big Bend
Two popular trails at Big Bend National Park remained closed over the weekend after a mountain lion attacked a woman earlier in the week.

Former Clinton Ag Secretary Fined For Illegal Spending
Former Clinton administration Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy paid a $50,000 penalty for improperly using leftover money from his congressional campaign accounts to pay legal bills stemming from his troubles in the Cabinet.

Amarillo Ranch Rodeo Set For June 12-14
The Crump-Hodge team will be back in the saddle again this year defending their title as top hands at the Cowboy Roundup USA and the Coors Ranch Rodeo here later this month.

EU To Allow Limited Export Of Brit Beef
The European Union Commission said last week it will ease the ban on British beef exports this week, allowing the export of Northern Irish beef certified to be free of so-called "mad cow" disease.

Superior Livestock Video Sale Offering Totals 22,000 Cattle
Superior Livestock Auction offered more than 22,000 feeder cattle at their regularly scheduled video sale. Trade and demand were termed moderate, delivery mostly current through September.

Graham Feeder Steers Off, Heifers Mixed
Feeder steers sold steady to $2 lower, heifers mostly steady, a few $1 higher, calves $1-1.50 lower, slaughter cows 50 cents to $1.50 lower, pairs $25-35 lower. Receipts totaled 2010 head.

Llano Feeder Cattle Steady, Cows Lower
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady, plain cattle and bull calves still discounted, slaughter cows $2 lower, bulls steady. Receipts totaled 634 head.

Most Abilene Cattle Prices Termed Lower
Feeder steers and heifers sold $2-3 lower except 300-500 pound heifers $1-3 higher, slaughter cows and bulls $1-3 lower, stock cows mostly steady, pairs trending lower.

Angelo Lamb Prices Jump As Much As $15
Feeder lambs sold $3-4 higher this week, slaughter lambs $7 to as much as $15 higher, slaughter ewes uneven with good and choice firm to $2 higher, others weak to $2 lower. Receipts totaled 15,206 head.

Milano Feeder Steer, Heifer Prices Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady, slaughter cows steady to $1 lower, bulls steady. Receipts totaled 1360 head.

Lampasas Feeder Steer, Heifer Prices Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady, slaughter cows and bulls steady. Receipts totaled 877 head.

Junction Feeder Lamb Trade Sharply Higher
Feeder lambs sold $5-7 higher, slaughter ewes and bucks steady; stock Spanish nannies $3 lower, slaughter classes $1-2 lower; slaughter Angora goats steady.

Goldthwaite Feeder Lambs Up Sharply
Feeder lambs sold $10-12 higher, slaughter ewes and bucks fully steady; all classes of slaughter Angora goats steady; stocker Spanish nannies steady, slaughter nannies $2-4 higher, other slaughter goats fully steady.

Fredericksburg Steer Prices Trend Higher
Feeder steers sold $2-3 higher, heifers strong, slaughter cows and bulls strong. Receipts totaled 1333 head.

Producers Video Sale Offers 6100 Cattle
Producers video auction offered 6100 feeder steers and heifers in their regular sale. Deliver was mostly current through August, a few lots for September through October.

Letters To The Editor

Coming Up...
June 6 — Greater Hill Country Hereford Association’s Hereford Tour. June 6 — Special Cow and Heifer Replacement Sale, Jordan Cattle Auction, Brownood, Texas. June 9-12 — Agri-Concepts Low Cost Cow/Calf Production School, Pratt, Kansas.