In mid-October, USDA released a 13-page plan aimed at tackling challenges within the beef industry while also responding to consumer concerns about rising costs and transparency.
“Today, USDA will immediately expedite deregulatory reforms, boost processing capacity, including getting more locally raised beef into schools, and working across the government to fix longstanding common-sense barriers for ranchers like outdated grazing restrictions,” said USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins in an Oct. 22 news release.
USDA’s plan was announced shortly after President Donald Trump’s controversial remarks about increasing Argentine beef imports from 20,000 metric tons to 80,000 metric tons annually. Although no official announcement has been made about expanding the tariff rate quota, the proposition has generated opposition from cattle ranchers.
Lawmakers have also pushed back against the prospect. In an Oct. 29 letter to Rollins and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, more than a dozen Republican House members expressed concern about boosting Argentine beef imports.
“While we share the Administration’s goal of lowering costs for consumers, we are concerned that granting additional market access to Argentina—already one of our largest beef suppliers—will undermine American cattle producers, weaken our position in ongoing trade negotiations, and reintroduce avoidable animal-health risks,” read the letter signed by House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO-08) and 13 others.
The lawmakers highlighted the trade imbalance between the two nations, pointing out that Argentina exports more than $200 million of beef annually to the U.S. while importing less than $2 million of U.S. beef in return. They asked the Trump administration to ensure any adjustments to Argentina’s tariff rate quota be “contingent on verified equivalency and reciprocal market access for American beef.”
Plan details
WLJ briefly outlined the USDA plan in its Oct. 27 issue, noting that several of the plan points have been in progress already, including some initiated under the previous administration.
Notably, the plan acknowledges that the U.S. has lost more than 17% of its cattle ranches since 2017, and that the national cow herd is at a 75-year low while consumer demand for beef continues to grow.
“Because herd rebuilding takes time, USDA is investing during the downturn so that the next upswing is less volatile for ranchers and more affordable for consumers,” the department said in the plan.
The proposal is built on three main priorities:
• Protecting and improving the business of ranching.
• Expanding processing, consumer transparency and market access.
• Building demand alongside domestic supply.
Ranching business
As part of its goal to strengthen the ranching business, USDA plans to partner with the Department of the Interior to expand grazing on federal lands. The Grazing Action Plan is anticipated to be released sometime in November and is intended to expand access, reduce barriers, modernize processes and elevate rancher input. As part of the plan, the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management will review vacant grazing allotments and consider reopening them for grazing access.
“At Interior, the Department is slashing red tape and restoring grazing access on public lands to support the livelihoods of hardworking Americans in the ranching industry,” said Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
The Interior will also work with the USDA to develop new standards of evidence for compensating ranchers for wildlife predations on livestock in the Southwest and other states.
USDA also plans to expand existing indemnity programs, including adding coverage for unborn livestock in the Livestock Indemnity Program, and increasing coverage to 100% of the market value for livestock killed by predation.
Beginning ranchers are now classified as those who have been ranching for under 10 years, as opposed to the previous definition of five years. Premium subsidies will also be slightly higher during early years. USDA also intends to prioritize grant applications and outreach for veterans entering agriculture.
Market investments
USDA said marketing investments will help put American ranchers and processors first, expand marketing options for ranchers and ensure transparency in labeling for consumers.
Part of this effort includes compliance enforcement of “Product of USA” claims beginning in early 2026, which was a rule published in 2023 and finalized in 2024. Labels will be permitted when the product is derived from an animal born, raised, slaughtered and processed in the U.S.
USDA also plans to continue publishing market information under the Livestock Mandatory Reporting program and use the Cattle Contract Library to share timely market information. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 directed the Agricultural Marketing Service to create a Cattle Contracts Library Pilot Program to increase market transparency for cattle producers. USDA is reviewing findings and recommendations for the program in an assessment report released by Kansas State University in 2024.
The department also plans to continue working on its Remote Grading Pilot for beef and expand its Instrument Enhanced Grading program, and will continue to work on ongoing technology projects to use more technology for feeder cattle assessments. In addition, a fourth round of grant funding will be available to small processors through the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program. The Food Safety and Inspection Service will also reduce the costs of overtime and holiday inspection for small and very small processors in fiscal year 2026.
Building demand
Under its third priority, USDA plans to build demand for beef while increasing domestic supplies. This includes expanding access to locally raised beef by encouraging USDA Child Nutrition Programs to source and serve locally grown foods, and spotlighting protein in the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
While the document doesn’t specifically mention how it intends to grow the domestic herd under this point of the plan, USDA notes: “By increasing domestic and international demand in tandem with domestic supply, the Trump Administration will lessen the volatility of the boom/bust cycle.”
The plan received positive feedback from industry groups, although they still noted concerns about increasing beef imports from Argentina.
The U.S. Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) commended the grazing action plan and predator management, along with the support for protein’s role in diets, support for small processors and enforcement of voluntary labeling provisions.
However, USCA President Justin Tupper expressed concern with Argentine beef imports, saying, “We oppose this kind of government intervention in the marketplace and will continue to defend ranchers from this action.”
Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund (R-CALF) said they appreciate the plan. “While more reforms are needed to sustain a viable domestic cattle industry that can meet America’s food security needs for generations to come, we recognize the secretary has presented a meaningful plan within the scope of her authorities that will help reverse our industry’s ongoing contraction,” said R-CALF CEO Bill Bullard. — Anna Miller Fortozo, WLJ managing editor
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