Angus breeders discuss Global Methane Hub grant for methane research

In April the Bezos Earth Fund and Global Methane Hub announced a $27.4 million effort to “breed low-methane livestock across four continents.”

A grant valued at $4.85 million went to the Angus Foundation “to integrate low-methane traits into beef cattle breeding programs in North America, Oceana and Europe,” reported the Bezos Earth Fund, which funds the Methane Hub.

American Angus Association board member, Art Butler, Bliss Idaho, just returned from a board meeting where the board discussed member concerns over this topic.

Butler told TSLN on June 6, that he doesn’t have concerns that certain genetic lines will be identified as “climate unfriendly,” causing them to be left behind by the market.

“I believe there are efficient cattle of all sizes, shapes and breeds. This will help identify those,” he said. Butler said that while some universities have conducted research on cattle methane emissions, those studies have been very small in scope – for example, one study looked at around 23 head of cattle. Because the AGI study is expected to collect data on about 4,600 animals, the research will be much more meaningful, he said. He also pointed out that most studies thus far have focused on feedlot cattle, while this study will include cattle on grazing situations.

“This will be foraged based,” he said. Butler said the study take several years and that the grant is expected to cover the entire cost of the research.

In addition to the 4,600 head of cattle the AGI will study, another approximately 15,000 head of cattle will be studied in other parts of the world through other Bezos Earth Fund/Methane Hub funded research.

Butler said there aren’t strings attached to the grant. “We won’t owe anything to the Bezos Earth Fund. We just accepted the money to administer data collection and do analysis. The Methane Hub will have access to the data, but it will not be made public,” he said.

The Bezos Earth Fund is “not attacking cattle in this situation,” said Butler. “He [Jeff Bezos] knows cattle emit methane so they went and found people involved to research it further.”

Butler said the association is not giving credence to the environmental movement. “We are not admitting anything. Cattle emit methane. That is basic science. We want to be a part of the narrative of how much they are emitting. Is there a difference in cattle, can we make reductions and increase efficiencies by doing research on a large number of animals?”

Ed Raithel, who manages the Herbster Angus Farm herd located in Falls City, Nebraska, said that although it sounds far-fetched, this research could lead to the identification of certain genetic lines deemed “environmentally unacceptable,” and meat packers could discount or refuse to buy cattle from other genetic lines.

“We already test cattle for everything under the sun,” Raithel said. “I don’t see how measuring methane adds a number that helps me—or my customers.”

His focus remains on delivering real-world value: “I’m committed to giving commercial producers better genetics—cattle that grow efficiently and boost profitability. My goal is to combine as many practical, phenotypic traits as possible into one balanced package. That’s what matters to the people I serve.”

“Jeff Bezos has already poured nearly $10 million into funding a methane-reducing vaccine for cattle. Aligning with the largest beef breed in the country isn’t about helping us—it’s about giving his agenda credibility. If we take money from the Methane Hub, we are telling the American people we are ok with that. To me, that gives him all the credibility he wants or needs to push forward an anti-cattle agenda and maybe eventually force us to use his vaccine.”

Raithel believes a new EPD is inevitable.

“They’ll come up with some magic gas number—or whatever they decide to call it. And while they say Bezos can’t use our data, he won’t have to. Once it’s published, anyone—including him—can scan the American Angus database and see which cows rank at the top. All it takes is a few clicks. “It’s a really scary thing they are playing with here,” he said.

Raithel added another point – “I absolutely think the EID program could be used to allow our cattle to be tracked more easily than ever,” he said.

Chris Earl, a New Mexico Angus breeder and owner of CK6 Consulting is concerned about his organization taking grant money from an entity that states agriculture needs to “use less land” and “drastically reduce emissions.”

Earl, Raithel and others have taken to social media to voice their concern over the grant.

“I think it’s a serious topic. A lot of people voiced their unrest with it,” he said.

Earl said he himself doesn’t believe in the “premise of global warming.”

“When I hear climate change and things like this, I really do start to feel like it’s an effort to add to vertical integration, add to the global mentality and take property rights away from the hard-working people of rural America,” he said.

“Anyone with a computer and google can go see what Jeff Bezos and the Methane Hub thinks about cattle and agriculture,” he said.

Earl says the big question is: Do they believe in global warming? Do they believe cows have a problem? “I don’t believe it to be true. I’m in this business 24/7. I see cattle in every class and management system. Global warming isn’t a problem,” he said.

“Mr. Bezos and the Methane Hub are fabulous at what they do, when they can attract a non-profit with a large figure in order to further their agenda…I have no idea what strings are attached. They say they want to have ‘a seat at the table’ but I want to know who is representing me at the table. Are we having a seat at the table or are we being bought?” said Earl.

Earl said the American Angus Association should have been more forthcoming with the news about the grant.

The Angus Journal did run a story dated April 15, 2025, reporting on the grant. The story said that over the next five years, Kelli Retallick-Riley, Angus Genetics Incorporated, expects to better understand the genetic differences in energy efficiency between animals emitting different levels of methane, allowing for new genomic tools to enhance the already robust toolkit available to the beef industry.

“The research and efforts made possible by this grant will support today’s beef farmers and ranchers as well as future generations because we know reducing energy waste to make cattle more efficient is a long-term goal that affects the livelihoods of people who raise cattle,” Retallick-Riley says.

According to that story, Retallick-Riley was referencing “maintenance energy” and she said that when less energy is required by a cow for maintenance, more is available for growth and production.

John Dickinson, the AGI chairman from Auburn, California, said in that story that the cow herd sits at 60–70-year lows, and the industry may not be able to build back at the same level it once was – as far as land usage.

“At the end of this current cycle, I [am] struggling to think we’ll have the same number of available acres with the current cost and competition for land and forage resources,” he said. “I think there will be a limit to what we can build back to, and consequently, we will ask even more out of the Angus cow for production.”

The American Angus Association board of directors released a letter to members on social media June 6, (following their board meeting that week) explaining that AGI was approached by a group of beef industry researchers from Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Ireland to participate in a project studying the influence genetics has on methane emissions and its relationship to efficiency, lifetime performance and beef quality. AGI’s role in the research is to represent American Angus genetics by leading and influencing the project design, coordination and analysis.

The board said, “individual animal information, including the methane measurement and associated genotype, will be submitted anonymously to the Global Methane Hub for use by contributing livestock researchers. No registration numbers will be tied back to individual animals or breeders in or registry. We will not share any performance data from our members’ database.”

“Funders have no authority to influence or alter the direction, design, or use of the research and it cannot be changed by outside parties. In the end, the Bezos Earth Fund has no access to the data or influence on how it’s reported,” the board said.

“Ultimately, we have 100 percent confidence in this project, the protection of our data and the potential results that will benefit breeders in improving the efficiency of the Angus cow. This week, we unanimously voted in support of the project and to continue to move ahead with the research,” said the board.