Scientists have long known that cattle produce carbon dioxide and methane throughout their lives, but a new study pinpoints the cow-calf stage as a major contributor of greenhouse gases during beef production. In a new paper for the Journal of Animal Science, scientists estimate greenhouse gas emissions from beef cattle during different stages of life. They show that, depending on which production system farmers used, beef production has a carbon footprint ranging from 10.7 to 22.6 kg of carbon dioxide equivalent per kg of hot carcass weight.

Readers at www.progressivecattle.com by a wide majority say the new traceability rules implemented by the USDA are too stringent. The new rules go into effect March 11, and will require identification and transport documents, if the cattle are older than 18 months and crossing state lines.

A 32 percent decline in Texas beef cattle has many pointing to drought as the main culprit, but there are other factors that have chipped away at inventory levels over the past couple of years, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economist. Stan Bevers told beef producers at the Blackland Income Growth Conference that not only has drought forced large sell-offs of cattle down to the point of Texas inventory levels of 1959, but land fragmentation continually is taking away potential beef cattle production.

The Federation of State Beef Councils, a division of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, elected leaders, approved more than $105,000 in promotion and education grants and marked its 50th anniversary during the 2013 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show Feb. 6-9. Richard Gebhart, a rancher from Claremore, Oklahoma, was elected Federation chair, following his term as vice chair last year. He succeeds Craig Uden, a cow-calf producer and feeder from Elwood, Nebraska.