Gov. Patricio Martinez of Chihuahua, Mexico, arrived in Oklahoma on Monday to discuss cattle trade relations with Gov. Frank Keating - - and attend today's Oklahoma Sooners basketball game.

Martinez said his state of Chihuahua has had the best opportunity in 100 years "to reposition our cattle and our possibility to reproduce steers and cows for exploration and investments in the cattle industry."

The Mexican governor said the states of his country have suffered from the drop in steer prices, as low as 50 to 60 cents per pound, near the border of the United States.

"Our cattlemen suffer because we have the credits, so we have a lot of cattlemen with problems of credit right now," Martinez explained. "To avoid this kind of problem, we need the best prices, and right now, we have, not record prices, but high prices, with $1.20 a pound for steer living near the border."

Martinez said Oklahoma was chosen for its good quality of cattle in the state.

"We're thinking of possibly buying bulls and all kinds of animals to re-establish the inventories in our state," he said. …