President Donald Trump mentioned this week he “loved” America’s cattle ranchers. But these farmers, who overwhelmingly supported the president within the 2024 election, say they aren’t feeling the love proper now.
Trump is facing criticism from many US cattle ranchers after signaling help for growing low-tariff beef imports from Argentina to ease report beef costs within the United States. The transfer comes simply weeks after US soybean farmers blasted a separate deal with Argentina that they worry will give South American producers a aggressive edge in that market.
Argentina at the moment accounts for simply over 2% of US beef imports. Under current guidelines, it might ship as much as 20,000 metric tons a 12 months at a decrease tariff price, with something above that topic to a 26.4% tariff, in line with the US Department of Agriculture.
A White House official instructed NCS the administration plans to boost that quota to 80,000 metric tons, successfully quadrupling the quantity of Argentinian beef with low tariffs that may enter the United States.
“If Trump goes through with what he outlined, I do believe it’s a betrayal of the American rancher,” Christian Lovell, an Illinois cattle farmer and the senior director of applications at Farm Action, a nonpartisan farm group, mentioned. “It’s a feeling that you’re selling us out to a foreign competitor.”
On Wednesday, Trump reacted to the backlash from cattle ranchers.
“The Cattle Ranchers, who I love, don’t understand that the only reason they are doing so well, for the first time in decades, is because I put Tariffs on cattle coming into the United States, including a 50% Tariff on Brazil,” Trump wrote on social media.
“It would be nice if they would understand that, but they also have to get their prices down, because the consumer is a very big factor in my thinking, also!” he added.
In an announcement, Colin Woodall, CEO of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a commerce affiliation for beef producers, mentioned the group 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.”
The value of beef has climbed significantly this year, up practically 14% prior to now 12 months, in line with the most recent inflation knowledge launched by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in August. (A contemporary learn on shopper costs is ready to be launched Friday.)
Becca Jablonski, an agricultural economist who teaches at Cornell University’s Johnson School of Business, mentioned the worth enhance is fueled by a number of elements.
A current, multi-year drought decreased the quantity of grazing land for cattle and made feed grain considerably dearer, leading to a scarcity of cattle, she mentioned.
The scarcity has additionally been made worse by an infestation of New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite, simply throughout the border in Mexico, considerably curbing beef imports from that nation.
Jablonski mentioned that traditionally the livestock sector barely makes cash, however is having a uncommon optimistic 12 months, which permits farmers to pay down money owed they accrued throughout unprofitable years.
“I think the argument the industry is making is, ‘Let us have one good year,’” she mentioned.
In an announcement, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly mentioned the president is conserving his guarantees to defend farmers and customers.
“President Trump pledged to protect America’s ranchers and deliver economic relief for everyday Americans. The Administration is accomplishing both by expanding beef imports from Argentina to lower consumer prices in the short term while rolling out a new USDA initiative that will support ranchers and expand cattle herd sizes to keep prices lower in the long term,” Kelly mentioned.
Lovell mentioned lots of the farmers he is aware of are simply scraping by.
“It is not uncommon for folks in farming to have a year where they report a loss,” he mentioned. “You cannot look at cattle producers that had one good year and say, ‘Oh my gosh, they are just making out like bandits.’”
Lovell blamed value will increase on the big meatpacking companies that purchase product from US ranchers and package deal it for grocery shops.
An inflow of imported beef would damage US farmers, he mentioned, as a result of the big meat packers will not be required to label what nation their beef comes from.
There are some indicators that help for Trump in farm nation has begun to fray. He received 93% of rural counties within the 2024 election, the very best share of any Republican presidential candidate this century, according to the Economic Innovation Group, a bipartisan analysis group.
But soybean farmers had been amongst the first to feel the pain of Trump’s tit-for-tat tariffs with China. Since May, China has successfully boycotted American soybeans as a response to Trump’s tariffs.
Even earlier than tariffs, the household farming business within the United States was already hurting. Since 2017, the nation has misplaced greater than 17% of its household farms — at the least 100,000 operations — in line with the USDA.
Tariffs could also be exacerbating that ache. Farm bankruptcies rose in the first half of the year to the very best stage since 2021, in line with US courts knowledge.
John Boyd, a fourth-generation farmer and the founding father of The National Black Farmers Association, mentioned he had by no means had an issue selling his soybeans till lately.
“Now nobody’s buying it,” Boyd mentioned. “The largest purchaser of our soybeans was China, and they haven’t placed any orders. Zero.”
“The president thinks his tariffs are the best thing since sliced bread, and it’s putting America’s farmers out of business,” he added.
The administration drew backlash final month after agreeing to supply $20 billion in forex help to assist stabilize the Argentine peso, a transfer critics have characterised as successfully bailing out Argentina.
A text message, seen by NCS, despatched by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, instructed that Argentina then used that monetary lifeline to strike a deal with China on soybeans.
“We bailed out Argentina yesterday and in return the Argentine’s (sic) removed their export tariffs on grains, reducing their price to China at a time when we would normally be selling to China,” the message mentioned.
“Here we are losing our farms, and the president is helping out a foreign country,” Boyd mentioned of the deal.
Earlier this month, sources told NCS the White House was planning to increase a multibillion-dollar bailout for farmers. With the federal government shutdown stretching previous its third week, no plan has materialized but.
Although the USDA has been largely shuttered throughout the federal government shutdown, the company on Wednesday announced a plan it mentioned would “strengthen the American beef industry.”
The plan contains increasing ranchers’ entry to federal land for grazing and prioritizing grant functions from navy veterans trying to enter the business, amongst different measures.
Lovell mentioned that whereas the plan could also be welcome information to many farmers, he felt it didn’t go far sufficient to guard the business.
“What US ranchers need is a fair market with the right incentives. We’ve got to encourage rebuilding the cow herd here in the US,” he mentioned. “This seems to be a quick attempt to control the damage.”