COW HERD REBUILDING is still a thing of the future, most analysts agree. Cow slaughter has finally ebbed, but a large percentage of heifers are still going on feed for slaughter instead of into replacement channels. Some forecasts call for heifer retention to begin this summer, which would lead to modest herd expansion by the year 2000. Those predictions assume favorable range and pasture conditions, however, and a large part of the country is seeing anything but.

Fat, Feeder Lamb Prices Fall Sharply
No telling what next week will bring, but this week it was sharply lower prices on both fat and feeder lambs and that followed the sharp increases of the past few weeks. What good does it do to make production and marketing plans when one week’s timing could make or break you?

Plains Fed Cattle Move Early, But Only On $1 Lower Market
Plains fed cattle traded early this week for a change, a significant number moving on Tuesday. As has generally been the rule, however, it cost the feeders something to do that; packers peeled another dollar off the declining market.

PLAINS FEEDLOT SALES

RANGE SALES

Drouth Big Story Across South, But Weather Crazy Everywhere
Talk about your crazy weather. Drouth reigns through the Southwest and much of the South, scorching rangeland and crops and fueling fires from New Mexico to Florida.

Senate Cattle Market Hearing Elicits Conflicting Comments
A U.S. Senate hearing here last week on the cattle market’s woes drew comments from both producer and packer interests.

Ecos, Feds Cut Grazing Deal Without Input From Ranchers
Without bothering to consult the stockmen it will impact, the U.S. Forest Service has cut another deal with an Arizona environmental activist group to move more cattle away from streams in six national forests in Arizona and New Mexico.

Frog Poses Another Threat For Ranchers In Southwest
New Mexico ranchers, already awash in "endangered species" problems, apparently will have to deal with yet another one.

Some Ranch Cooks Earn Praise; Others Are Best Left Unnamed
How many times have you gone someplace to eat and were somewhat disappointed in the amount of groceries you got for the price you paid? By price, I mean hard labor.

Blister Disease VS Found In Texas Horse
The Texas Animal Health Commission reports that vesicular stomatitis has been confirmed in a horse in Reeves County. Texas now joins New Mexico and Arizona as states with confirmed or suspected VS cases this year.

Cattle On Feed Up One Percent In Seven Main Feeding States
Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter June 1 in the seven leading feeding states totaled 8.29 million head, up one percent from the same day last year and 14 percent above June 1, 1996.

Nation’s Feeder Cattle Prices Turned Mostly Lower Last Week
Lower prices were the rule on feeder cattle and calves around the country last week. Feeder steers and heifers were steady to $2 lower except in Kentucky, Tennessee, and into the Southeast, where the trend was steady to as much as $3 higher.

Texas Direct Fed Cattle Lower, Trading Slow Except At Midweek
Slaughter steers and heifers were 50 cents to $1 lower last week in Texas Panhandle and Western Oklahoma feedlot trading.

Angelo Lamb Prices Drop Through Floor
Feeder and slaughter lambs sold $8-10 lower this week, slaughter ewes steady. Two day receipts totaled 17,652 head.

Domestic Wool Trade Quiet, Aussies Mixed
Domestic wool trading was at a standstill last week as demand became very narrow. One major interest is not purchasing wool until fall and others are lowering prices weekly to remain competitive in the world price scheme.

U.S. Meat Production 4.6% Above A Year Ago
Total red meat production under federal inspection last week was estimated at 850.8 million pounds, 1.5 percent more than a week ago and 4.6 percent above a year ago.

Graham Feeder Steers, Heifers Trade Lower
Feeder steers sold $1-3 lower, heifers steady to $1 lower, calves $2 lower, fleshy offerings $1-4 lower, slaughter cows steady, bulls $1 higher.

Abilene Feeder Cattle Prices Up And Down
Feeder steers weighing 200-400 pounds sold $1-2 higher, others mostly steady to $1 lower, heifers 500-600 pounds $1 higher, others steady to $1 lower, slaughter cows $1 lower, bulls steady, stock cows steady.

Junction Angora Goat Prices Higher
Feeder lambs were not well tested, slaughter ewes and bucks steady; slaughter Angora goats $2-4 higher; stock Spanish nannies $2 higher, slaughter classes steady to $2 lower.

May Meat Production Up From A Year Ago
Commercial red meat production for the United States totaled 3.58 billion pounds in May, up slightly from the 3.57 billion pounds produced in May 1997.

Goldthwaite Feeder Lamb Prices Lower
Feeder lambs sold $4-6 lower, slaughter ewes and bucks $3-5 higher; slaughter Angora goats mostly steady; stock Spanish nannies $5 lower, slaughter classes $2-5 higher.

Lampasas Feeder Steer, Heifer Prices Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady, slaughter cows and bulls $3 higher. Receipts totaled 790 head.

Llano Cattle Prices Trend Mostly Lower
Feeder steers and heifers sold $2-3 lower, slaughter cows and bulls $1-2 lower. Receipts totaled 1058 head.

Milano Feeder Cattle Find Two-Way Market
Feeder steers and heifers weighing under 400 pounds sold steady, steers over 400 pounds $3-5 lower, instances $7 off, heifers $2-4 lower, slaughter cows firm to $2 higher, bulls steady.

Cuero Feeder Cattle Trade Termed Active
Feeder steers and heifers were active with calves lower, slaughter cows $1-2 lower, bulls steady.

San Saba, Brownwood, Mason Feeders Mixed
Feeder steers and heifers sold mostly steady last week in Mason, Brownwood and San Saba except weights over 600 pounds $1-4 higher, slaughter cows $1-3 higher, bulls $2-3 higher, stock cows steady to strong.

Colorado City Feeder Steers, Heifers Lower
Feeder steers and heifers sold $2-4 lower, slaughter cows and bulls steady, bred stock cows and pairs weak in a light trade.

Kansas Direct Feeder Steers Steady To Off
Feeder steers sold steady to $2 lower in Kansas direct trade last week, heifers mostly steady.

Most Fredericksburg Cattle Prices Higher
Feeder steers and heifers sold $2-3 higher, slaughter cows and bulls $2 higher.

Letters To The Editor

Coming Up...
June 26 — Superior Livestock Auction’s Video Sale, Superior Office and Studio, Fort Worth, Texas. June 29-July 3 — Producers Livestock Auction Will Be Closed.