Bloomberg’s Skylar Woodhouse and Alicia Diaz reported that “President Donald Trump attacked US cattle ranchers over their criticism of his plan to slash record beef prices by importing significantly more tariff-free meat from Argentina, deepening a quarrel with a group of reliable supporters and raising concerns among ranch-state Republican lawmakers.”
“Trump on Wednesday said that cattlemen should be grateful for his tariff policies, saying they have helped boost their profits. At the same time, he also implored them to lower the cost of their products,” Woodhouse and Diaz reported. “‘If it weren’t for me, they would be doing just as they’ve done for the past 20 years — Terrible! It would be nice if they would understand that,’ the president posted on social media. ‘They also have to get their prices down, because the consumer is a very big factor in my thinking, also!’”
“The US plans to increase the tariff-rate quota for Argentina to 80,000 metric tons of beef — effectively quadrupling the amount exempt from 26.4% tariffs, a White House official said later Wednesday,” Woodhouse and Diaz reported. “The Agriculture Department also said it would seek to expedite regulatory reforms and increase processing capacity to lessen the impact on US farmers.”
“Trump’s plan to increase Argentine beef imports has been met with scorn by ranchers, who have said it could crush their industry, while experts say it would do little to lower prices,” Woodhouse and Diaz reported. “Argentine beef accounts for only about 2% of US beef imports and increasing supplies may only have a marginal effect on what consumers pay.”
Cattle groups strongly oppose more Argentine imports
Agri-Pulse’s Oliver Ward reported that “the president has come under fire from the beef industry after he floated increasing U.S. imports of Argentinian beef to reduce prices, in comments to reporters on Air Force One on Sunday. In a display of unity, every major beef industry group opposed the idea, including the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, which has often been in alignment with the administration’s policy platform.”
“‘The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and its members cannot stand behind the President while he undercuts the future of family farmers and ranchers by importing Argentinian beef in an attempt to influence prices,’ NCBA CEO Colin Woodall said in a statement Wednesday,” Ward reported. “‘It is imperative that President Trump and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins let the cattle markets work.’”
“In addition to industry opposition, a stream of Republican lawmakers have expressed concern to the administration privately and publicly, including figures that have been in lockstep with Trump on U.S. trade policy,” Ward reported. “Others, including Sens. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Roger Marshall, R-Kan., told Agri-Pulse Tuesday that they were confident that the import volumes under consideration would not meaningfully affect domestic producers.”
USDA unveils plan they say will help US beef industry
Progressive Farmer’s Chris Clayton reported that “amidst the conflict over cattle markets, the Trump administration released a plan ‘to strengthen the beef industry’ for both cattle producers and consumers. A news release from USDA cited that the country has lost more than 100,000 cattle producers in the past decade.”
“Focusing on its deregulation agenda, the Trump administration stated it wants to help cattle production ‘through endangered species reforms, as well as enhanced disaster relief and increased grazing access.’ Other ways to help producers include increased access to capital and risk management tools,” Clayton reported. “On grazing access, the Trump administration indicated there are roughly 29,000 grazing allotments nationally through the Bureau of Land Management that are currently vacant. USDA and the Department of Interior will sign a memorandum of understanding to streamline and expand grazing on federal lands.”
“The Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) will start to enforce the voluntary ‘Product of USA’ label for meat products that will only apply to products ‘born, raised and slaughtered in the United States.’ It is a voluntary label rule that was finalized last year but set to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2026,” Clayton reported. “Another part of the plan calls for a fourth round of funding for the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program that would provide grants of up to $2 million for smaller processors. That program was created under the Biden administration to strengthen the food supply after pandemic disruptions. USDA also will prioritize guaranteed loans of up to $25 million for local beef processing.”
