"Ranchers find themselves caught between the president's desires to appease both them and the US consumer in the face of high beef prices. It has been a whiplash-inducing month for the American rancher, one of United States President Donald Trump's most steadfast voting blocs. Starting with an October 19 quip from Trump that the US would increase beef imports from Argentina to the ensuing rancher backlash against the announcement of an investigation into the hyperconsolidated US meatpacking industry and the dropping of tariffs on Brazilian beef, ranchers have found themselves caught between the president's desires to appease both them and the American consumer in the face of high beef prices."
"US ranchers have enjoyed rising cattle prices, largely the result of the lowest herd numbers for beef cattle since the 1950s. Other factors constricting supply include the closure of the Mexican border to live cattle due to concerns over screwworm and steep tariffs on foreign beef. Cattle prices paid to ranchers are separate from consumer beef prices, which, as of September, were $6.32 for a pound (453 grams) of ground beef, an 11 percent rise from September 2024 when they were $5.67 a pound."
Ranchers are positioned between presidential initiatives to lower consumer beef prices and policies that could undermine recent cattle-price gains. An October 19 comment about increasing beef imports from Argentina, an investigation into a hyperconsolidated meatpacking industry, and the removal of Brazilian beef tariffs provoked rancher backlash. Elevated cattle prices result from the lowest beef herd numbers since the 1950s, the Mexican border closure to live cattle over screwworm concerns, and steep foreign-beef tariffs. Retail ground-beef prices rose to $6.32 per pound in September, an 11 percent year-over-year increase. Some ranchers accuse the president of misunderstanding industry dynamics despite political support.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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