President Donald Trump announced today that import quotas on beef will be lifted for a period of 90-days in an effort to remove pricing stress on cattle and give U.S. ranchers an opportunity to restore herd head count.
The short-term effort is directed to lower consumer prices, while in the longer term the U.S. cattle industry undergoes market-based reforms to eliminate monopolistic industrial practices.
PRESIDENT TRUMP – “Today, I concluded a deal to substantially lower the price of ground beef for working American families. As everyone knows, under President Biden, beef prices soared at their fastest rate and the American beef herd fell to its smallest size in modern history. As we work to rebuild this herd and help our ranchers, for the next 90 days, the United States will allow up to 300,000 metric tons of product for ground beef to be imported with no out of quota tariff. We have a commitment that this beef will be sold at 25 percent below current market prices. This deal will reduce prices for Americans while giving space for our Great American Beef Herd to grow again. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” ~ President DONALD J. TRUMP
President Trump gave remarks about the issue during a tarmac presser en route to South Carolina. [PROMPTED]
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Massie is already screaming, but he owns a cattle operation in Kentucky so…
He screams at everything Trump does
I read elsewhere that the national cattleman association is not happy due to imported beef being brought in yet their herds are at low numbers.
Sounds like TDS symptoms.
Think a second….raising beef is a long term investment.
You market or sell whether large producer or small when the crop brings the best price. (At a certain weight/age target).
If your crop is ready inside the next 90 days plus then the feedlots will not be offering very much for your crop.
The only ones making a profit will be the large feedlots and meatpackers…..and do you trust quality controls on imported beef?
Next time you buy cheap hamburger over next 90 days ( and longer for most will arrive frozen) you will likely get tough old cow instead of prime beef.
This small producer will survive but don’t pee down my back and ask me to like it.
Playing into the hands of the big Ag guys once again.
The only incentive to increase herds is a stable and profitable market.
Thanks for your insights.
Cattle ranchers are FURIOUS over this.
Due diligence before condemning the ranchers.
I’d like a credible explanation as to why the herds haven’t at least partially recovered by now.
Because the droughts a few years ago and low prices put some ranchers out of business completely. Not a business you can build back quickly from scratch.
It’s to help with the midterms…
The 90-day window is strategically aligned to lower visible grocery costs just before voters head to the polls in November.
Maybe but risks losing as many votes as gaining any….government should stay out of business in our republic. The American system doesn’t work if government makes business artificial.
I love our great President and what he has done and tried to do but it’s sometimes best to stay out of the kitchen and not listen to bad advice……
Beef has been climbing higher for last few years. Yes, part of the reason has been related to the herds being decimated by drought and other factors….but by now herds should have largely recovered. But they haven’t.
May this 90 tariff holiday will incentivize domestic cattlemen to start growing their herds. Yeah…it takes a few years, but the trend needs to turn around.
Meanwhile, maybe Ull see regular ground beef under $10 a pound soon 😎
Biden also slaughtered millions of chickens to reduce our food supply and drive up prices. The left in general has been deliberately and systematically killing the beef industry and driving up prices for many years
This is about one year overdue. Maybe more.
I saw ground beef for $11.99 per pound at a local grocery store. Cheap stuff was $7.99 per pound.
Don’t expect midterm enthusiasm from people paying those prices.
The Trump administration has done much that is good. VERY much. Sorry to say that ground beef has not been their strong point.
I’m sure the 92% of cattle ranchers who voted for him are thrilled with this.
The government trying to control food pricing feels awfully communistic to me.
Those that push us around prefer us to dine on bugs.
Go to a restaurant in Brazil and you will see two prices for a beef steak. The lower price is for local beef. But it’s an extra 10% for the higher quality Argentinian steaks.
My brother n law is a beef producer, a rancher. He is not happy because the price of beef is high because of the beef packer houses. The ranchers are getting better prices at auction than a few years ago but the big bucks are being made by the 4 companies that control 85% of the meatpacking industry.
Tyson foods, Cargill, JBS and National Beef are making the big bucks.
Their combined total control of the beef industry prices are the biggest factor in high grocery store prices. Break up that monopoly and your prices at the grocery store will drop dramatically.
A vast majority of beef in the U.S. comes from Mexico and South America.
The only way to purchase American beef is online or local butcher shops.
Screw worms have infected Mexican beef and some South American beef yet it doesn’t seem to matter.
Most retailers will refuse to lower prices because they want Americans to suffer just like the fraudulent gas market.