NOT TECHNICALLY LIVESTOCK, at least by most definitions, whitetail deer are becoming increasingly important to livestock operations just the same. Unlike cattle, sheep or goats, deer boast a market with ups and few downs, they require no handling to speak of, and most are sold range delivery.

Sheep, Lambs Suffer More Price Losses
More price losses occurred in feeder and fat lambs this week, as well as slaughter ewes. Feeder lambs were uneven but generally weak to $3 lower around the country, slaughter lambs lost as much as $8, and slaughter ewes were a couple of dollars off.

Plains Fed Cattle Steady To Stronger At Mostly $63
Plains feedlots sought another big jump in prices this week and didn’t get it, but they managed to hold the line and perhaps advance just a smidgen. Packers came into the week bidding $63, even with late last week and $1 higher than the bulk of sales, which were made at midweek.

PLAINS FEEDLOT SALES

RANGE SALES

Helle Rambouillet Struggling To Survive In Changing World
Sheep are almost an endangered species in Beaverhead County, once one of the largest sheep producing areas in all of Montana. Today sheep are rapidly being displaced by predators, high overhead, erratic markets, labor problems and loss of the Wool Act. A few diehard sheepmen continue to hang on.

Homes, Lives And Livestock Lost To Flooding In SE Texas
A day after surging water swept through her neighborhood, Ragena Case returned to her home Monday and found nothing. Flood waters had ripped the house from its foundation and tossed the furniture aside like discarded toys.

R-CALF Head Says Organization Still Growing Despite NCBA Snub
The head of a newly-formed cattlemen's trade group says the organization is continuing to grow despite the National Cattlemen's Beef Association's refusal to support its efforts.

U.S. And Canadian Cattlemen Meet To Discuss Trade Issues
Some 20 representatives of the U.S. and Canadian livestock industries gathered here this week to disagree, agree and agree to disagree on trade issues between the two countries.

Cash, Futures Price Disparity Keeps Cattle Market Confused
In the closing weeks of the October live cattle futures contracts, prices on the board and cash cattle seemed to diverge instead of converge, leaving most market watchers puzzled and cattlemen with some opportunities few seemed to take.

USFWS Issues Draft Report On Arkansas River Shiner
The final decision on whether to list the Arkansas River shiner, a two-inch minnow, as endangered could be published in the Federal Register as early as November.

Espy Trial Details Tyson Party And Speech Arranged As "Cover"
There was little talk of business at a lavish party that former Clinton administration Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy attended as a guest of Tyson Foods Inc., the company's top executive claims.

EU Hedging On Compliance With Ruling Against Hormone Ban
The European Union Commission said Monday it will not be able to offer definitive scientific justification for a ban on imports of hormone-treated beef within the deadline set by the World Trade Organization.

Government Disaster Payments Require Careful Tax Decisions
President Clinton last week vetoed the $4.2 billion farm aid bill which earlier passed the House and Senate. While both branches of government support a farm assistance program, it appears that the differences focus on the amount of funding. The President explained that the bill approved by Congress "fails to respond fully to the needs of America's farmers."

USDA Raising Bangs Indemnity Payments To Speed Eradication
The Livestock Conservation Institute says the nation’s brucellosis eradication program remains a top priority in the last few months of 1998 as the target date for completion draws closer.

Ranch To Rail Entries Decline; Program May Be In Final Year
Texas A&M University's Ranch to Rail program may be a victim of its own success. "We've had 1700 ranches go through the Ranch to Rail program in a seven-year period," says Dr. John McNeil of Texas A&M, who helped start the program and now coordinates it.

Ag Disaster Aid Package Part Of Massive, Mysterious Budget
An almost $6 billion agriculture disaster aid package is one small element in the half-trillion-dollar "omnibus" budget bill passed Tuesday by the U.S. House and facing likely Senate approval at presstime.

Pie Attack On Economist Lumps Ecos With Larry, Moe And Curly
The radical environmental fringe is losing ground with the public, according to a variety of polls conducted over the last couple of years. Part of the reason for their decline is growing realization that the groups’ claims thinly veil a purely partisan political agenda that has nothing to do with the environment; another is that, through their excesses, they are making unwelcome fools of themselves.

Freedom To Farm Act Not Cause Of Ag Woes
Farmers across the state are feeling the financial pinch from low commodity prices. But they shouldn't blame a federal Freedom to Farm Act passed two years ago, U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts said Monday.

Anti-Grazing Radicals File Yet Another Federal Lawsuit
Management plans for two so-called "wild and scenic" rivers in New Mexico are more than five years overdue, claims an anti-grazing activist group that has filed a lawsuit seeking to force the Santa Fe National Forest to do them.

Plains Farmers Storing More Grain At Home, Sweating Price
Low commodity prices and demand for U.S. grain has more farmers storing crops on the farm — which in turn has offset a rail-car shortage predicted in July.

Group Favors Ending Grizzly Loss Funds
State payments to ranchers whose livestock is harmed by grizzly bears should end, to expedite grizzlies' removal from the federal endangered-species list, a legislative committee recommends.

Another Federal Wolf Bites The Dust In SW
Only four of the 11 rare Mexican gray wolves released in Arizona are still alive and roaming, after another animal was found dead over the weekend.

Spanish Land Grant System Still Creating Controversy
It was 1748, and some Franciscan friars in Hopi country were fretting over the spiritual welfare of Indians they had recently converted to Christianity.

Superior Livestock Video Sale Offering Totals 39,000 Cattle
Superior Livestock Auction offered nearly 39,000 head of feeder cattle and breeding stock at their regularly scheduled video auction. Consignments were from 22 states and Mexico.

Nation’s Feeder Cattle, Calf Prices Higher Again Last Week
Prices for feeder cattle and calves were higher across the country again last week. Feeder steers and heifers sold $1-3 higher for the most part.

Cattle On Feed Down 2 Percent In Seven Main Feeding States
Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter Oct. 1 in the seven leading feeding states totaled 8.38 million head, down two percent from a year ago but 12 percent above Oct. 1, 1996.

Texas Fed Cattle Rise Sharply In Heavy Movement At Midweek
Slaughter steers and heifers closed $3-4 higher in Texas Panhandle and Western Oklahoma feedlot trading last week.

Angelo Feeder Lambs Steady, Cattle Lower
Feeder lambs sold steady this week with rains curtailing receipts, slaughter lambs $1-2 lower, slaughter ewes mixed, good and choice grades weak to $2 lower, other grades firm to $1 higher. Receipts totaled 10,890 head, mostly slaughter ewes and goats.

Junction Lambs Lower, Stock Angoras Higher
Feeder lambs sold $1 lower, slaughter ewes steady, bucks $4 lower; stock Angora nannies and muttons $2 higher, slaughter Angoras mostly steady; slaughter Spanish muttons and billies $4-6 lower, other slaughter goats mostly steady, stock nannies $2 higher.

Llano Cattle Prices Higher On Short Run
Rain-shortened cattle receipts at 244 head sold strong on all classes. Feeder steers: medium and large No. 1 300-400 lbs. $78-85, 400-500 lbs. $70-82, 500-600 lbs. $67-77, 600-700 lbs. $62-68.

U.S. Red Meat In Cold Storage Up Slightly
Total red meat supplies in freezers on September 30 at 731.7 million pounds were up slightly from both last month and September 1997.

Most Abilene Cattle Prices Trend Higher
Feeder steers and heifers sold $3-5 higher, slaughter cows and bulls $3-5 higher, stock cows steady, pairs $20 higher. Receipts totaled 2595 head.

Milano Feeder Steer, Heifer Prices Higher
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady to $2 higher, slaughter cows and bulls scarce. Receipts totaled 402 head.

Goldthwaite Feeder Lambs, Angoras Up
Feeder lambs sold $1-3 higher, slaughter lambs steady, bucks $3 higher; all classes of slaughter Angora goats $3 higher; stock Spanish nannies $2 higher, slaughter classes $3-5 higher.

San Saba, Brownwood, Mason Cattle Steady
Feeder steers sold steady to strong in Mason, Brownwood and San Saba with weights under 400 pounds $1-3 higher, heifers steady to $3 higher, slaughter cows $1-3 higher, bulls $4-5 higher, stock cows and pairs steady.

U.S. Meat Production 3.4% Above A Year Ago
Total red meat production under federal inspection last week was estimated at 893.9 million pounds, .7 percent more than a week ago and 3.4 percent more than a year ago. Cumulative meat production for the year to date was up 2.9 percent at 34.9 billion pounds.

Kansas Direct Feeder Cattle Trade Higher
Feeder steers sold firm to $1 higher, heifers firm to $2 higher. Weather was mild with thundershowers late. Sales were confirmed on 7647 head.

Milano Replacement Cattle Sell Strong
Cattle prices at the annual fall replacement sale were strong. Receipts totaled 1500 head.

Cuero Cattle Trade On Active Market
Trading was active, slaughter cows about steady and stock cows and pairs higher. Receipts totaled 2050 head.

Colorado City Feeder Cattle Prices Higher
Feeder steers and heifers sold $1-3 higher with steers over 500 pounds $2-5 higher, slaughter cows $1 higher, bulls $1-3 higher, bred cows higher, pairs steady.

R.A. Brown Bull Sale Avg. $1706
The R.A. Brown Ranch Bull and Quarter Horse Sale offered 390 bulls for an average of $1706 per head.

Lampasas Feeder Steer, Heifer Prices Higher
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady to $3 higher, the greatest advance on weights over 600 pounds, slaughter cows and bulls $1-2 higher. Receipts totaled 1550 head.

Fredericksburg Steers Steady, Heifers Up
Feeder steers sold steady, heifers $1-3 higher, slaughter cows and bulls strong. Receipts totaled 1528 head.

Graham Feeder Steer, Heifer Prices Higher
Feeder steers sold steady to $1.50 higher, heifers steady to $2 higher, slaughter cows $1-1.50 higher, bulls $1 higher and pairs $20 higher. Receipts totaled 1372 head.

Loose Ends

Letters To The Editor

Coming Up...
October 22 — Producers Video Auction’s Special Calf and Yearling Sale, Fort Worth, Texas. October 22 — Special Female Consignment Sale, Jordan Cattle Auction, San Saba, Texas. October 22 — Dudley Brother’s 37th Annual Cowman’s Kind Hereford Bull Sale, at the ranch, Comanche, Texas.