The economic war that pits ranchers and feeders against packers
continues without letup. The battlegrounds include the halls of
Congress, regulatory agencies and the federal courts. Amid the
bloodletting, pork and chicken carry off more of the meat market
without firing a shot.  Against this backdrop, a band of Midwest
feeders and ranchers have taken the radical step of buying a
piece of the packing industry. To these operators, who go under
the banner of U.S. Premium Beef (USPB), the big problem isn't
the meat packing industry, but the public's indifference to
beef.  'Most economists who look at the pure facts of the issue
have come to the conclusion that our problems are demand, demand
and demand,' says Steve Hunt, USPB chief executive officer. 'And
I would fall in line with that view myself.'  USPB gained a
stake of the packing industry through a joint venture with
Farmland Industries. The agreement allows them to purchase up to
half of Farmland's National Beef Packing Co., the smallest of
the Big Four pac