Amended Country of Origin Labeling, or COOL, laws are still creating a wave among U.S. commodity producers, especially those who raise and export beef. The issue appears to be headed toward more litigation, and more rounds of trade negotiation. The question is if the powers in Washington are paying attention.

Ranchers in Tornado Alley aren't the only ones who were hit this year by extreme weather in their herds.

This month's Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook from the USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) puts the heavy slaughter rates for beef cattle in perspective. Feedlots are placing heavier feeder cattle as a way to spark more beef production as the summer continues, which USDA says could lower fed cattle prices.

Here's to new beginnings. This marks the first entry in my Editor's Blog corner for Progressive Cattleman. Check back here regularly for the latest happenings in the beef industry. I'll try to keep a tidy array of news, market reports and commentary from around the Web.

There is a natural tendency for humans to bond with animals. Loving another person can be a rocky relationship, but loving a pet is commonly a lighter task. Their hearts aren’t cold, just their noses. Results from the U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook showed that in 2011, 63.3 percent of pet owners considered their pets to be a family member. Think about that statement for a moment. Is your pet, horse or livestock considered a member of the family? Sure, you might let the dog sleep at the foot of your bed.

A few weeks ago while visiting family members, I had a chance to chat with a nephew who manages an independent grocery store. After attending trade shows where analysts gave their market forecasts for 2013, I figured his insight might be the most intuitive of them all. Who better to gauge beef sales than the guy buying it in bulk for the neighborhood market?

One year after the “pink slime” fiasco hit American headlines, not to mention the beef industry, a certain sea change has evolved among the chattering classes of media and the Internet. The legal battle waged to defend Beef Products Inc. and its product – lean finely trimmed beef, or LFTB – against the blitzkrieg of negative press led by ABC News is far from over. But as more facts emerge from the case, it’s obvious that the so-called reporting on LFTB was blatantly foul.

My great-great-grandfather fought for the Confederacy. I realize that’s not a popular thing to confess. It’s easy to throw our past into the dustbin of history if it clashes with modern taste and propriety. But for Durham Hall Smith there’s a legacy reaffirming what unites our country rather than what divided it.