Many cattlemen and women across the U.S. are currently shaking their heads in disbelief at the outright, blatant disregard for their livelihood from President Donald Trump’s latest Truth Social post.
The post: “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.”
For me, so many questions immediately come to mind. Where is this ground beef coming from, and how safe is it? Where will this product be sold? Will the consumer actually see the promised 25% discount? And perhaps most importantly, why not focus the energy and resources on lowering the cost of production for American ranchers?
We have already seen how uncertainty surrounding imported beef can affect cattle producers. In October 2025, Trump suggested importing more beef from Argentina and said that U.S. cattle producers needed help with lowering record-high beef prices for consumers. That announcement sent the feeder cattle market down $55 in a two-week period, and it came at a crucial time of year when many ranchers are marketing their calves. The result was significant financial losses for many producers.
For ranchers, these are not simply numbers on a market report. A $55 drop in the market can mean the difference between profitability and a loss. Ranchers make long-term decisions based on cattle prices, feed costs, weather and the availability of grazing land. They cannot simply increase production overnight because the government decides that more beef is needed.
Rebuilding a cow herd takes time, capital and, most importantly, confidence in the future.
A better use of resources and something that could actually help rebuild the American beef herd is the Rebuilding America’s National Cow Herd (RANCH) Act. This legislation would create a new voluntary grazing land restoration program that could open up to 20 million new acres for grazing. At full enrollment, the program established by the RANCH Act could provide sufficient grazing land to support an estimated 2 to 4 million additional beef cows.
That is a solution that addresses the problem at its source. If we truly want more cattle in the U.S., we need more opportunities for ranchers to raise them. We need to look at the challenges limiting expansion, including drought, high input costs and the availability of grazing land.
AJ Munger with Eagle Pass Ranch near Highmore, SD, has been working with Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) on this legislation. As Rounds put it, “Anyone who has spent time around cattle understands one simple truth: no grass means no cattle.
“With ranchers facing drought, high input costs and a shortage of grazing land, America’s beef cow herd is at its smallest size in over 70 years,” Rounds said. “The RANCH Act would create a voluntary Ranchland Program that helps producers restore eligible marginal cropland into grasslands for grazing. Producers can use their land in a way that makes the most sense for each individual operation, giving those who know their land best the tools needed to succeed.”
According to the bill text, the RANCH Act:
• Strengthens American food security by expanding the domestic beef supply and reducing reliance on imported beef.
• Puts American ranchers first, expanding the grazing land base needed to rebuild the national cowherd and meet growing consumer demand.
• Expands domestic demand for American-grown grain and forage, giving U.S. farmers a stronger, more reliable market as the cattle herd grows.
American ranchers need support from our current leadership, not more imports. They need policies that give them the opportunity and flexibility to succeed. If the goal is truly to rebuild the American beef herd, then we should be investing in American ranchers and providing them with the tools to grow their operations and focus on lowering production costs.
Importing beef may offer a short-term talking point about lower prices, but it does not create one additional American cow or acre of grass. If we are serious about rebuilding the American beef herd, we need to focus on solutions that support the people who raise them. — TY GROSHANS
