HOT, DRY WEATHER is a given for this time of year, so for at least the last eon or two, Livestock Weekly has maintained a tradition of running a midsummer snow picture. It’s our way of reminding readers that this, too, shall pass. And it can’t happen soon enough to suit us.

Lamb Prices Looking For Stability
Fat and feeder lamb prices tended to bounce around a lot this week as each marketing area tried to find its place in the big picture. Carcass prices leveled out after their three week freefall that lost around $35 on middleweights, finally stopping at $161.50.

Plains Fed Cattle Trade Off Another $1 On Brisk Movement
A Texas Cattle Feeders’ Association wrap-up on last week’s Panhandle fat cattle trade noted the way packers had "skillfully manipulated" their captive supplies to slice another dollar off the market.

PLAINS FEEDLOT SALES

RANGE SALES

To Sell Or Feed Them; That’s $64 Question For John Hughes
John Hughes, like so many cattlemen, is doing a lot of soul searching and a lot of figuring. This week, when most of the stockers traditionally start leaving the Osage hills, he has a tough decision to make — Do I sell or do I hold?

Steers In Ranch To Rail North Program Average Near $60 Loss
The average steer in this year's Ranch to Rail North program lost $58.85, says the program’s final report. The range in average returns varied from a $38.88 per head profit to a $240.27 per head loss.

Rancher Monitoring Of Range Still Mighty Touchy Subject
Rancher monitoring of public rangelands is a controversial subject in New Mexico. The non-partisan Range Improvement Task Force, which has been in existence for 20 years, is often called upon to render an opinion in such situations, but even they cannot decide whether rancher monitoring is good or bad.

NCBA Hires Two Firms To Battle Referendum
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association Checkoff Working Committee member Merlyn Carlson of Lodgepole, Neb., told the Nebraska Beef Council Board last Thursday that two political strategy firms have been hired to develop an "education" campaign to combat a petition drive seeking a referendum on the beef checkoff program.

Grain Stocks Expected To Rise In Response To Big Harvests
Amid a worldwide grain glut and falling prices, American wheat farmers pushed their winter wheat crop nine percent higher than previously expected, the Agriculture Department reported Friday.

Tax Court Ruling Could Change How CRP Payments Are Treated
A tax break could be due landowners with acreage idled under the government's largest farmland conservation program if a judge's ruling withstands a likely IRS appeal.

Federals Act Like Mafia Dons; Offers That Can’t Be Refused
In Michigan's Upper Peninsula, near the tiny town of Watersmeet, Kathy Stupak-Thrall owns a tiny cabin her grandfather built next to Crooked Lake in 1939. Although the U.S. Forest Service owns the land adjoining the southern portion of Crooked Lake, Michigan law guarantees Stupak-Thrall the right to use the surface of the lake.

Quest For Cabrito Can Produce Fireworks On Fourth Of July
Have you ever noticed that when you try to plan something, there is generally some outside element that wants to get your carefully laid-out plans unlaid? For several years, the Fourth of July has been the time for some shore-nuff good eating.

Ranching At The Tip Of Baja Offers Own Unique Challenges
This may be a subject that nobody gives a rat's wisdom tooth about, but I thought I'd give a little insight as to how ranching in other parts of North America differs from the southwestern United States.

TFB’s Agfund Endorsement Flap Heats Up With Stallman Remarks
The furor over the Texas Farm Bureau AGFUND PAC’s endorsement of State Comptroller John Sharp over Agriculture Commissioner Rick Perry in the race for lieutenant governor appeared to have fallen off the public radar recently, but evidently it still roils within the organization.

NM Ranchers Angry At Linkage With "Hate Groups" In Report
Ranchers in southern New Mexico who complained that they had been linked to white supremacists by a state police report got their point of protest across and an apology from a top state official.

Kentucky Embargo Against Virus May Cost It Team Roping Finals
State officials are defending an embargo that threatens to keep the quarter-million dollar regional finals of the U.S. Team Roping Championships from returning to Kentucky next year.

Superior Livestock Video Sale Offering Totals 24,000 Cattle
Superior Livestock Auction offered more than 24,000 feeder cattle and breeding stock at their regularly scheduled video auction. Consignments were from 15 states.

CRP Haying Okayed For Texas By USDA
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Rick Perry announced Monday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved a waiver to allow haying of Conservation Reserve Program land in 49 Texas counties. Haying is limited to one cutting, and producers cannot hay and graze the same CRP land.

Terrell First County With Drouth Approval
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Rick Perry announced Tuesday that Terrell County is the first county in Texas to receive a disaster declaration from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Soap No Sub For Gas Against Prairie Dogs
Animal rights activists attempted to flush prairie dogs from their burrows using sudsy water but the little critters just didn't go with the flow.

Beef Co-Op Equity Meetings Complete
More than 1000 ranchers in four states attended 15 meetings conducted to drum up investment interest in a beef processing plant.

Steers, Heifers Weak To Off In Angelo Special Sale Monday
Steer and heifer prices were weak to $1 lower here Monday in the season’s third special feeder sale at Producers Livestock Auction.

Feeder Cattle Prices Continue Downward Trend Of Recent Weeks
Prices for feeder cattle across the country last week continued the downward spiral of the past few weeks. Feeder steers and heifers sold steady to $2 lower.

Texas Fed Cattle Trade Lower Last Week In Thursday Selling
Slaughter steers and heifers sold $1 lower in Texas Panhandle and Western Oklahoma feedlot trading last week.

Angelo Feeder Cattle Higher, Lambs Steady
Feeder lambs sold steady this week, slaughter ewes firm and in instances $1-2 higher. Two day receipts totaled 17,353 head.

U.S. Meat Production .1% Below A Year Ago
Total red meat production under federal inspection last week was estimated at 820.3 million, 7.9 percent more than a week earlier and .1 percent less than a year ago.

Kansas Direct Feeder Cattle Trading Slow
Feeder steer offerings were scarce and sold mostly steady, heifer sales too few for a market test. Weather was been a little cooler with late evening thunderstorms leaving traces to as much as eight inches in the western two-thirds of the state; eastern counties stayed dry.

Abilene Cattle Trend Termed Mostly Lower
Feeder steers sold steady to $1 lower, heifers $2-3 lower, slaughter cows and bulls $1-2 lower, cows with calves mostly steady.

Lampasas Steer Prices Steady, Heifers Higher
Feeder steers sold steady, heifers steady to eeder steers $2 higher, slaughter cows Receipts totaled 861 head.and bulls steady.

San Saba, Brownwood, Mason Feeders Lower
Yearling feeder steers and heifers sold $2-4 lower last week in Mason, Brownwood and San Saba, lightweights about steady, slaughter cows and bulls steady, pairs and bred cows in fair demand. Receipts totaled 1545 head at the three sales.

Most Junction Sheep, Goat Prices Decline
Feeder lambs sold $4 lower, slaughter ewes steady, stock ewes steady; stock Angora nannies $6-8 lower, slaughter kids and yearlings $6 lower, other slaughter classes steady; stock Spanish nannies mostly steady, slaughter classes $2-4 lower.

Junction High-Dollar Calf Sale Some Lower
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady to $3 lower at the special High-Dollar calf and yearling show and sale. Receipts totaled 862 head.

Graham Feeder Steers Mixed, Heifers Steady
Feeder steers sold mostly steady, some lightweights strong to $1 higher, some heavyweights weak to $1 lower, heifers steady, slaughter cows and bulls steady.

Cuero Lightweight Feeder Cattle Up
Feeder cattle traded mixed, lightweights higher, slaughter cows in strong demand. Receipts totaled 2000 head.

Goldthwaite Feeder Lambs Sharply Lower
Feeder lambs sold $5 lower, slaughter ewes and bucks $3-6 higher; slaughter Angora muttons $4-6 higher; slaughter Spanish goats $5 lower, stock nannies steady. Receipts totaled 7400 head.

Milano Feeder Steer, Heifer Prices Lower
Feeder steers sold steady to $2 lower, heifers $2-4 lower, slaughter cows $2-3 lower, bulls steady to $1 lower. Receipts totaled 1300 head.

Colorado City Moves Feeder Cattle Higher
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady to strong, weights 350-500 pounds $1-3 higher, slaughter cows and bulls $2 lower, pairs $25 higher.

Most Llano Cattle Prices Trend Lower
Feeder steers and heifers sold $2-4 lower, lightweight steers steady to $3 off, slaughter cows and bulls $3-5 lower. Receipts totaled 705 head.

Loose Ends

Coming Up...
July 18 — Special Cow Sale, Olney Livestock Commission Co., Inc., Olney, Texas. July 18-19 — Clayton Cowboy Celebration, Clayton Union County Fairgrounds, Clayton, New Mexico. July 20 — Special Calf and Yearling Sale, Jordan Cattle Auction, Mason, Texas