President Trump’s Proposal to Import Beef from Argentina to Lower Prices Doesn’t Go Over Well in Nebraska

By Gordon Hopkins “One of the things we're thinking about doing is beef from Argentina."That sentence, spoken by President Donald Trump to reporters Sunday while aboard Air Force One during a flight from Florida to Washington DC, has sparked a backlash from Nebraska lawmakers and cattle ranchers.U.S beef prices are at a record high contributing to overall high food prices. That is the reason, Trump explained, why he was considering increasing beef imports from Argentina, “If we do that, that will bring our beef prices down.” Among those who have voice opposition to this proposal is U.S. Senator Deb Fischer, who is not only one of Nebraska’s federal delegates but a cattle rancher as well. She expressed doubts that such a move would bring down beef prices. On Monday, Fischer issued a statement, “Since hearing the President’s comments suggesting the U.S. would buy beef from Argentina, I’ve been in touch with his administration and my colleagues to seek clarity and express my deep concerns. I’ve also been sounding the alarm on the bleak state of our ag economy and the negative impacts facing Nebraska’s ag industry—the economic driver of our state. Bottom line: if the goal is addressing beef prices at the grocery store, this isn’t the way. Right now, government intervention in the beef market will hurt our cattle ranchers. The U.S. has safe, reliable beef, and it is the one bright spot in our struggling ag economy. Nebraska’s ranchers cannot afford to have the rug pulled out from under them when they’re just getting ahead or simply breaking even. I strongly encourage the Trump administration to focus on trade deals that benefit our ag producers—not imports that will do more harm than good.” The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) also responded on Monday, “NCBA’s family farmers and ranchers have numerous concerns with importing more Argentinian beef to lower prices for consumers. This plan only creates chaos at a critical time of the year for American cattle producers, while doing nothing to lower grocery store prices,” said NCBA CEO Colin Woodall. “Additionally, Argentina has a deeply unbalanced trade relationship with the U.S. In the past five years Argentina has sold more than $801 million of beef into the U.S. market. By comparison, the U.S. has sold just over $7 million worth of American beef to Argentina. Argentina also has a history of foot-and-mouth disease, which if brought to the United States, could decimate our domestic livestock production.” Mark McHargue, President of the Nebraska Farm Bureau, was also critical when he posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), “Nebraska Farm Bureau remains an organization committed to free and reciprocal trade agreements and the free market system; however, trade agreements cannot turn into one-sided arrangements that provide unfair access to the U.S. market. Nebraska is ‘The Beef State’ and the success of Nebraska’s ‘beef’ industry, Nebraska’s largest single economic driver, impacts all Nebraskans. Our message is simple, we oppose any attempt by the federal government to artificially lower the price of cattle, a move that would absolutely harm Nebraska's cattle producers who are finally experiencing some level of economic success.” Another of Nebraska’s delegates, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts, was more circumspect in his statement, released on Tuesday, “I’ve been in contact with members of the Trump administration including Ambassador Greer, Secretary Bessent, and Secretary Rollins. I also spoke to President Trump at the White House today with a number of my colleagues. Nebraska ranchers are making money for the first time in years. We must continue to stand with them while we look for ways to lower grocery prices. Our focus should be on market-based solutions. I have advocated to administration officials to invest in more mitigation efforts to be able to normalize trade with our long-time partner Mexico. The New World Screwworm has disrupted beef trade with Mexico this year. We should continue working to address this issue to help stabilize beef prices and normalize trade.” The New World Screwworm is a species of parasitic fly and is partly responsible for high beef prices. In July of this year, United States Agriculture Department (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins ordered a halt in cattle imports from Mexico due to concerns about the parasite.

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