The U.S. plans to boost Argentine beef imports, angering American ranchers : NPR

This year, Destiny Weeks and her husband, who manage a herd of about 250 cattle in northern Oklahoma, began turning a profit for the first time in a decade. So Weeks was shocked and dismayed when she learned that President Trump wanted to import more beef from another country.

“It feels like a slap in the face to rural America,” she said. “It makes you feel invisible and forgotten.”

Beef prices have increased soaring in the United States as a result of a reduction in the number of cattle. On Sunday, Trump suggested that buying beef from Argentina could be one way to cut costs. This is because the President has already agreed to $20 Billion Currency Swap to prop up the struggling economy of the South American ally.

American ranchers and agricultural groups have strongly opposed the potential deal, arguing it would harm ranchers. But Trump defended the move during a call with reporters on Sunday, arguing that “Argentina is fighting for its life.” He also stated on Truth Social that his global tariffs have helped ranchers.

“The cattle ranchers I love don't understand that the only reason they're doing so well for the first time in decades is because I put tariffs on livestock coming into the United States,” Trump wrote in his op-ed. his post on Wednesday.

Despite days of verbal clashes between the president and ranchers, the White House on Wednesday confirmed plans to quadruple the tariff quota on beef imports from Argentina. On the same day, the Ministry of Agriculture announced. action plan to support domestic cattle breeders.

US Cattlemen's Association said The USDA initiative was a positive step forward, but the group remained “deeply concerned” about the intention to purchase more foreign beef.

“A deal of this magnitude with Argentina would undermine the very foundation of our livestock industry,” USCA President Justin Tapper said in a statement.

Cattle ranchers say they are not to blame for high prices

The US cattle population is at its level lowest level in decades — a trend driven by drought and rising operating costs that has forced many ranchers reduce your herds.

In August, the cost of ground beef per pound was about $6.63 — about two dollars more than four years ago, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics. At the same time, higher prices have opened the door to recovery for some ranchers like Weeks.

“I want to be clear: when we say it's profitable, no one is riding off on a yacht into the sunset,” she said. “We are recovering.”

Meanwhile, some ranchers say there is another key player in determining beef prices: four meatpacking companies that control more than 80% of U.S. beef processing.

“The American rancher has no control over the price of beef in this country,” said Christian Lovell, an Illinois cattle producer and senior program director for Farm Action, a nonpartisan advocacy group.

Recently, two of these companies—Tyson Foods and Cargill—agreed to pay a total of $87.5 million to settle the dispute. class action accusing them of fixing beef prices. That's a big reason why Lovell called the cattle market “broken.”

“Importing more beef will not solve this problem,” he said.

Some are skeptical that importing Argentine beef will lead to lower prices.

The U.S. is already importing record amounts of beef from other countries, including Argentina, according to David Anderson, a livestock economist at Texas A&M University.

The problem with using foreign meat to drive down prices is that the US is the world's largest consumer of beef. Anderson said it was unlikely Argentina would have enough supplies to satisfy America's appetite.

“They simply don't have the kind of supply that they can export to us that would have a noticeable impact on U.S. beef prices for consumers,” he said.

Anderson added that it will ultimately take time for beef prices to stabilize.

“There is no easy solution to the problem of lower prices, especially no easy and quick solution,” he said.

The moves follow disagreements with other farmers.

John Boyd Jr., a Virginia cattle and crop farmer and founder of the National Black Farmers Association, was already reeling from Trump's trade war with China, which led him to stop buying U.S. soybeans. Now Boyd is worried about his cattle business.

“Everything that the president interferes with and interferes with affects my farming operations,” he said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday responded to ranchers' concerns by laying out a slew of plans to strengthen the nation's beef industry. This includes increasing access to grazing lands and providing disaster relief.

However, Boyd said he was not comfortable with buying more meat from Argentina.

“I am opposed to Argentina receiving anything more from the United States,” he said.

These clashes are especially noticeable because farmers and ranchers are the main voting bloc for Trump. Weeks, of Oklahoma, said she just wants the president to stick to his agenda of putting America first.

“I think we should always support our domestic producers,” she said.