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ON THE MOVE, these ewes near Fort Stockton took to the road recently en route to the shearing pens on the Gerald Porter ranch. When their fleeces will sell is an open question, given the long-dormant wool market. A sick wool textile industry promises little relief in the near future.

Lamb Prices Continue At Steady Rates
Little price change was evident on feeder and slaughter lambs this week. Slaughter rates have picked up slightly as Easter approaches, and dressed carcass prices have remained the same for the past eight weeks. That could change soon, with the snowstorm sweeping the Northeast.

Plains Feedlots Gain Another Dollar On Moderate Movement
Plains feedlots added another dollar to the going rate on fed cattle this week, and some held back in hopes of adding still more.

PLAINS FEEDLOT SALES

RANGE SALES

Young Argentine Woman's Dream To Run Family Ranch Came True
Tiziana Prada McArthur aspired to run her family's ranching interests when she was a young girl. Despite obstacles and challenges, she's doing just that today.

Steak House Veteran Offers Advice To Cattle Producers
"Just because we want to produce it doesn't mean the consumer is going to flock to the supermarket to buy it," said Dr. Jack Riley, head of the Kansas State University Animal Sciences Department.

Cactus Buys Koch Feedyards, Regains Biggest Feeder Title
Cactus Feeders is once again the largest cattle feeding operation in the world. Amarillo-based Cactus Feeders bought three feedyards this month from Koch Industries Inc., bringing their one-time capacity to more than 460,000 head, surpassing New York-based Continental Grain.

Tenderness Study Indicates Beef Has Made Improvements
There is good news on the beef tenderness front. That was one of the messages delivered to those attending the product marketing session of the Cattlemen's College, held in conjunction with the recent annual meeting of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association here.

Lawmakers Try Again To Create Ag-Related "Savings Accounts"
With agriculture facing another year of declining exports and depressed prices, lawmakers have proposed new IRA-type savings accounts to encourage farmers to save money in boom years to weather the busts.

USFS Plan Would Allow Grazing But Reduce Pecos River Camping
Anti-grazing activists are hopping mad over a new U.S. Forest Service plan to manage the national "Wild and Scenic" section of the Pecos River. The proposal would curtail camping, but allow grazing to continue unabated.

House Bill Would Boost Loan Availability For Ag Sector
The House is trying to ease a farm credit crunch by making as much as $500 million available to guarantee loans to farmers and ranchers.

Forest Service Honcho Admits Denial Of "Tank Traps" Wrong
Oops, never mind ... After criticizing U.S. Rep. Helen Chenoweth for accusing his agency of building ``tank traps'' to halt motorized vehicles on national forest roads, a top government official now admits it is true.

Takings Suits On Eco Rulings Have Activists Screaming Foul
Grasping environmental activists may see their long string of legal victories come back to bite them, or at least haunt them.

Lamb Import Relief Proposal Facing Free-Trade Pressures
The U.S. International Trade Commission conducted hearings recently to address a petition filed by the U.S. sheep industry, under section 201 of the U.S. Trade Act of 1974.

States Taking Lead On Issue Of Packer Price Disclosure
More and more farm states are taking the lead on an issue bogged down in Congress: requiring meatpackers to reveal the prices they pay.

Made-Up Name For Eco-Balance Effort Slowly Gaining Support
The joys of being a governor include a security detail, rides on the state airplane — and the ability to make up a word and have other people use it.

Seldom-Used USDA Ag Subsidy Program Is Suddenly Popular
The farm economy is so bad that the federal government will pay $3 billion in subsidies for 1998 crops and even more for this year under a program that was once rarely used, an Agriculture Department official said last Thursday.

Texas Ag Commissioner Warns Of Dry Spring
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Susan Combs warned last Friday that the spring season may bring too little rain to benefit Texas farmers and ranchers.

Clinton Backs Bill To Seize More Land
President Clinton, celebrating the 150th birthday of the Interior Department, used the occasion to lobby for a $1 billion-a-year program that would enable the federal government to take over more private property.

Meat Passed For Entry Last Week 14,767 Tons
The total weight of imported meat inspected for entry into the United States last week reached 14,767 metric tons, or 32.5 million pounds. An additional 95 metric tons of chicken were inspected.

NCBA Approves Development Of Voluntary National ID System
Four years ago, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association began discussions on value-based marketing. Those preliminary discussions have now led to support by members for the development and implementation of a voluntary "National Cattle Identification System" that could be shared and used mutually by all segments of the beef industry.

Issues From Espy Bribery Case Make Their Way To High Court
The Supreme Court is trying to sort out distinctions between innocent "good will" and illegal gifts to government officials, using a case that arose from the corruption investigation of former Clinton administration Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy.

Latest CRP Signup Withdraws 5M Acres
The Agriculture Department last Thursday accepted nearly five million acres of land into the Conservation Reserve Program, which pays farmers to take environmentally sensitive acreage out of production.

Ecos Do About-Face Over Starving Lynx
Oops! Animal activists who pushed hard for the artificial introduction of Canadian lynx into Colorado are rapidly retreating from their brainchild now that the transplanted cats are starving to death in the midst of bountiful prey.

Bull Rider Josh O'Byrne Wins Bull Riding At Tucson Rodeo
Josh O'Byrne doesn’t appear to be the same cowboy who was carried out of the arena on a stretcher last December at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.

Nation’s Feeder Cattle Price Trends Highly Mixed Last Week
Price trends for feeder cattle and calves were highly mixed across the country last week. Trends ranged from $2 higher to $2 lower, but no definite pattern was established. Advances outnumbered declines by a small margin.

Texas Fed Cattle Trade Higher, Movement Remains Quite Liberal
Slaughter steers and heifers closed mostly $2 higher in Texas Panhandle and Western Oklahoma feedlot trading last week.

Red Meat And Pork Production Reached Record Highs In 1998
Red meat production in commercial plants and on farms in the United States totaled 45.3 billion pounds in 1998, up four percent from both the previous year's production and the record high set in 1995. Red meat includes beef, veal, pork, and lamb and mutton.

Domestic Wool Trading Slow, Australian Prices Bit Higher
Domestic wool trading last week was nearly at a standstill. Demand was narrow and limited due to lack of business in all facets of the industry.

Angelo Feeder Lambs, Cattle Trade Steady
Feeder lambs were uneven this week but mostly steady, slaughter lambs weak to $1 lower, slaughter ewes weak to $3 lower. Receipts totaled 10,212 head.

San Saba, Brownwood, Mason Feeders Higher
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady to $1.50 higher last week in Mason, Brownwood and San Saba, slaughter cows and bulls steady, stock cows and pairs steady. Receipts totaled 4528 head at the three sales, including around 3700 at San Saba's special replacement sale.

Junction Feeder Lambs Higher, Angoras Steady
Feeder lambs sold $2 higher, slaughter lambs mostly steady, slaughter ewes $2-3 higher; stock Angora goats steady, slaughter kids $4 lower, other slaughter Angoras steady; slaughter Spanish goats $6-8 lower, stock nannies steady. Receipts totaled 5600 head.

Kansas Direct Feeder Steers, Heifers Weak
Feeder steers sold steady to $1 lower in Kansas direct trade last week, heifers steady to weak. Sales were confirmed on 5355 head. Weather was mild with no moisture.

Abilene Feeder Steer, Heifer Prices Higher
Feeder steers under 600 pounds sold $1-2 higher, heavier weights steady, heifers $1 higher, slaughter cows and bulls mostly steady, stock cows and pairs steady. Receipts totaled 1423 head.

Milano Feeder Cattle Prices Sharply Higher
Feeder steers under 400 pounds sold $3-4 higher, heavier weights steady to $2 higher, heifers $1-3 higher, slaughter cows and bulls steady. Receipts totaled 984 head.

Mexican Feeder Cattle Prices Down Last Week
Mexican feeder steer calves and yearlings moving into the U.S. sold $1-2 lower last week. Movement totaled 13,308 head, all going into Texas.

Most Fredericksburg Cattle Prices Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold strong, slaughter cows and bulls steady. Receipts totaled 1715 head.

Most Llano Cattle Prices Said Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady, slaughter cows and bulls steady. Receipts totaled 243 head.

Goldthwaite Feeder Lambs Trade Steady
Feeder lambs sold steady, slaughter lambs $3-5 higher, slaughter ewes and bucks steady; Angora goats not well tested; slaughter Spanish kids $3-5 higher, other slaughter goats steady. Receipts totaled 5000 head.

Most Graham Feeder Steers, Heifers Up
Feeder steers sold steady to $2 higher, heifers steady to $2 higher except weights over 450 pounds $1 lower, slaughter cows and bulls strong to $1 higher, bred stock cows and pairs $10-20 higher. Receipts totaled 1576 head.

Colorado City Feeder Cattle Prices Higher
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady to $1 higher, slaughter cows steady to $1 lower, bulls $1 lower, bred stock cows $25 lower, pairs $50 lower. Receipts totaled 1106 head.

Cuero Feeder Steers, Heifers About Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold about steady, slaughter cows about steady. Receipts totaled 1571 head.

U.S. Meat Production 2.8% Above A Year Ago
Total red meat production under federal inspection last week was estimated at 877.6 million pounds, 1.6 percent more than a week earlier and 2.8 percent above a year ago. Cumulative meat production for the year to date was up .9 percent from the previous year.

Lampasas Feeder Steer, Heifer Prices Steady
Feeder steers and heifers sold steady, slaughter cows $1-2 lower, bulls $1-1.50 higher. Receipts totaled 1008 head.

Letters To The Editor

Loose Ends

Coming Up...
March 12 — Annual Spring Female Special, Grahman Livestock Commission Co., Graham, Texas. March 12 — Whitestone-Krebs Extra Value Bull Sale, at the ranch, Gordon, Nebraska.