1.   The cattle are being fattened for slaughter.

2.   Feeder cattle are fattened on a protein-rich diet for four months before being sent to slaughter.

3.   Feedlots fatten cattle for about four months before selling them to meatpackers.

4.   Feeder cattle futures fell as the price of corn jumped, making it more expensive for ranchers to fatten cattle to market-ready weights.

5.   Feedlots are sprawling pens where cattle are fattened on a rich diet of corn and protein supplements.

6.   Fewer cattle entering feedlots means less beef after the four months it takes to fatten cattle.

7.   Five different hormones -- three naturally occurring and two synthetic -- are used to stimulate growth to fatten cattle for market.

8.   He said the Hereford and Black Angus cattle are not fattened in feed lots and not given hormones, antibiotics or other chemicals.

9.   In CHICAGO, feeder cattle futures fell as the price of corn jumped, making it more expensive for ranchers to fatten cattle to market-ready weights.

10.   It takes about four months to fatten feeder cattle, on a diet of mostly corn, to market weight.