If you have felt a little sticker shock at the meat counter lately, you are not alone. Beef prices continue to push higher, setting new records seemingly by the week. In many stores, 80/20 ground beef is knocking on the door of seven dollars a pound, and when it does go on sale, you had better grab it fast. Chuck roasts are only a little higher than that, and ribeyes, in some cases, are topping twenty dollars per pound. The Trump administration says it is exploring ways to bring those prices back in line for consumers, but many cattlemen will tell you the problem runs deeper than what the shopper sees on the price tag. Sure, cattle are selling for strong prices, but the cost of doing business has climbed just as fast. For most ranchers, the profits are gone by the time they buy feed, pay for pasture, and restock the herd.
In an effort to curb record beef prices, President Donald Trump has suggested the United States could import beef from Argentina. The idea comes shortly after the U.S. finalized a twenty billion dollar financial bailout for the South American nation, an agreement Argentina’s central bank confirmed this week. But not everyone in the cattle industry is on board with that plan. R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard says bringing in more foreign beef would only make matters worse for U.S. producers, not better.
Bullard says that instead of relying on more imports, the administration should focus on restoring fairness and transparency in the marketplace. He believes implementing mandatory country of origin labeling, or MCOOL, on all beef products would be a far more effective solution.
Bullard says another possible solution would be to get the Big Four beef packers, JBS, Tyson Foods, Cargill, and National Beef, directly involved in easing the strain on supplies. He says the president could call on those companies to hold back some of their exports to keep more beef here at home.
Bullard adds that the conversation about beef prices is not just about economics but about survival for many cattle producers. He says the United States cannot afford to keep losing family operations at the pace it has been, warning that the future of the nation’s beef supply depends on keeping producers in business.
Additionally, Bullard says the timing of the president’s proposal could not be worse.
Bullard and R-CALF USA are urging President Trump to take direct action to restore fairness and competition in the beef industry. He says that managing imports, reinstating mandatory country of origin labeling, and breaking up the monopolistic grip of major packers and retailers would give ranchers the confidence to rebuild the nation’s herd and strengthen food security. At the same time, Bullard points to ongoing price-fixing cases moving through the courts and hopes the administration will push antitrust officials to find out just how much those practices have added to the high prices consumers face today.
