The Cattleman Update

Water is a contentious issue across Texas, but tensions have been especially high in a 16-county groundwater conservation district stretching from south of Lubbock into the Panhandle, an area considered part of America’s “breadbasket.” There, farmers reliant on the slowly diminishing Ogallala are fighting to maintain their right to pump unrestricted amounts of water. The issue gained urgency last month when a landmark Texas Supreme Court opinion confirmed that landowners own the water beneath their property, in the same way they own the oil and gas. more…

For the week ending March 17, feeder cattle prices at Texas auctions covered by USDA Market News were steady to $2 higher per hundredweight (cwt), with heifers over 700 pounds steady to $2 lower at one location. Texas feeder cattle sales direct to feedlots were mostly steady to $2 lower on cattle weighing more than 800 pounds and firm on lighter weights. Oklahoma City was mostly lower early in the session before turning higher later in the day. Fed cattle cash prices were down by about 50 cents per cwt from the previous week following continued declines in beef values. more…