All American beef: Why You Should Buy Local

There’s been a lot of talk since Trump decided to bring in 300,000 metric tons of foreign beef selling it at 25% below the current market prices. I’m finally weighing in on this.

The goal of this is to reduce prices to make beef more affordable to the average buyer. It will be imported and sold under market value for 90 days. But is this really helpful?

For the farmer or rancher, no, it’s not.

The price of beef has risen due to rising inputs, drought, and waning cattle herds. Farmers are not making bank on the increase price, rather, they’re just trying to stay afloat. The war in the Middle East has made both fuel and fertilizer cost skyrocket. The inputs are more so it raises the cost. Cutting the cost of beef in the stores does nothing to cut the rising costs for those raising the cattle in America.

Additionally, the demand on beef has made it so that there is less incentive for farmers to grow their herds. This will lead to further shortages in the future and continued high beef cost. Before you think that these silly farmers aren’t thinking far enough ahead, there are rumors of some big farmers losing contracts with their sellers as they now have access to cheaper beef. This obviously hurts the farmer to the point of perhaps not being able financially to regrow their herds right when farmers and ranchers are making critical decisions for their farm’s expansion. For spring calves, right about now is breeding time. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association responded to this order stating that “While America’s cattle producers share the goal of keeping groceries affordable for consumers, flooding the market with government-subsidized, below-market beef is not the way to rebuild the American cattle herd.”

The U.S. Cattlemen’s Association said it best when they responded, “You don’t put America first by putting U.S. cattle producers last.”

Is this helpful to the consumer? Not really at all.

First things first, it will not make beef significantly cheaper. Even with as much beef as is being imported, it’s only going to reduce the price about a quarter some say. Additionally, it will be only for 90 days. Therefore, any reduction in price will be short lived. It won’t be enough to significantly ease the strain on the consumer’s budget.

Furthermore, it could be dangerous. The tariff-free beef will be imported from Brazil and Argentina. The EU has banned Brazilian beef over antibiotic use in their beef. And China rejected shipments of Argentina beef due to it containing the antibiotic chloramphenicol which is prohibited. As these countries have different standards and practices, it is a concern what may be in the meat as well as how it was raised.

Florida and Texas recently had around 30,000 pounds of uninspected beef from Argentina recalled. This leads to another question if the USDA will be able to keep up with inspecting the huge influx of meat we are about to get.

Mandatory labeling of country of origin on imported meat was repealed by congress. It will be mixed into the supply chain. Meat packers will be mixing the foreign meat with US fat trimmings since much of the imported meat will be lean cuts. This will make it impossible to label it as such. “Processed in the U.S.” labels don’t mean it’s American beef, rather that it was just packaged here. Trump signed an order to review the possibility of labeling the meat, but it’s just a review. It will not mean that it will be labeled with country of origin, and as stated above, it may be impossible to label it as such as it will be mixed in to the system.

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association also said about the imports that it “throws cold water on the prospect of herd expansion and sacrifices long-term stability for short-term messaging.” It throws cold water on the American people too by giving them low quality beef at hardly any discount.

So what can we do about this?

We can bolster and support our American famers and ranchers. If they sell direct to consumer, buy from them! We know it’s expensive and we are not trying to cheat anyone. We’re just trying to keep doing what we love. That is the only reason we’re charging what we charge. American direct to consumer cattlemen want to provide their communities with the highest quality food we can produce to bring health and vitality to those around them. If you can, buy your meat from them.

We understand it is expensive. If you can, look for voluntary labeling in stores that beef was grown and processed in the U.S. Other methods of subscription meat like Good Ranches support only American farms (Butcher Box gets their beef from foreign countries). A free way of supporting your local farm is sharing or reposting their posts on social media. Or tell your friends about them. Or even just send up a prayer for American farmers during this time. All of it helps.

We currently are sold out of beef for the 2026 year. In 2027, we will have a very limited number of beef going in, but we are taking deposits to reserve spots for 2027. I HIGHLY recommend you reserve your spot quickly as I can’t promise otherwise that you will get it.

For other places to support, I recommend J-J Cattle Company, Bosserd Family Farm, Blight Farms, or Good Rancher for a subscription. Support local, support American!!