American ranchers are irked by Trump’s efforts to bring down beef prices: ‘This is a mistake’

Cooper Little, executive director of the Independent Cattleman's Association of Texas, said the industry is "very disappointed" in the decision and disputes the idea that imported beef will lower what shoppers pay at the grocery store. The administration has been trying to bring down beef prices for months, but drought, demand, and a parasite have worked against those efforts. Ground beef is now averaging $6.89 a pound, near record highs.

For ranchers on the South Plains, where cattle operations stretch across Lubbock and the surrounding counties, this hits close to home. Ranching families there have already been squeezed by drought conditions that thinned herds and drove up costs. Flooding the market with cheaper imported beef undercuts the prices they depend on to stay solvent.

Little said whoever is advising the president on this strategy has the wrong read on how retail beef pricing actually works. The tariff suspension covers a 90-day window, and ranchers are not convinced consumers will see meaningful savings at the counter anyway.

The U.S. Cattle herd is currently at its smallest size in decades, which is a big reason prices climbed this high in the first place.