Cattle

FRANKSTON, Texas -- A cow runs circles in a small pen, her baby close by her side. Ranchers, their brows wrinkled, scribble in a glossy catalog while high on a podium the auctioneer slams his gavel, taking bids as the price of the pair rises rapidly.

The high-profile auction at the Neches River Ranch gave cattlemen a good indication of how long it might take to rebuild after Texas' devastating drought and what it might cost them.

A quality cow that sold last year for no more than $1,800 now fetches about $3,000. The average price for a bull is up $500. And a cow with a 300-pound to 400-pound calf by her side is selling for about $2,800, sometimes more than $3,000 -- almost double the $1,700 they commanded two years ago.

SYRACUSE — It is still legal to raise and butcher a chicken or cow in certain parts of this community.

City leaders put the finishing touches on a revised land-use ordinance, in regard to animals, on Tuesday and approved a guideline for animal harvesting as part of the revision, plus finalized language that will allow residents to have cats without having to license them.

Cattlemen have long memories, which is why many Texas beef producers are holding off on replenishing herds they thinned during last year's historic drought.

As water supplies dried up, as grasses and wheat shriveled, and as the price of hay skyrocketed, local ranchers sold off tens of thousands of cattle they couldn't afford to keep.

SALT LAKE CITY — If Utah does not get control over federal lands within its borders, two local lawmakers worry, it could severely impact the state’s economy in the long run.

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- A pioneering partnership has been forged to bolster the science guiding resource management and public lands stewardship along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

One of the West's most enduring symbols is fading like a red-hot branding iron cools to ashen gray.

With concerns over disease and global trade trumping tradition, federal regulators want ranchers to swap the old-fashioned cattle brand for electronic ear tags to quickly and reliably identify livestock.

SYRACUSE -- If "Livestock Jeopardy" becomes a television game show, four Davis County teens could clean up as contestants.