North Dakota Ranchers Say Trump’s Market Meddling Is Bad for Beef

By Jeff Beach

Ranchers are pushing against a Trump administration proposal to import beef from Argentina, a move they say is causing chaos in the market. 

Beef production had been a bright spot in a struggling U.S. farm economy. But futures prices have taken a hit since President Donald Trump said Sunday that the U.S. should buy beef to help support Argentina and lower prices for consumers. 

Julie Ellingson, executive vice president of the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association, said Trump’s stance had an immediate and dramatic impact on the livestock industry. 

Ellingson called it “real time, real life consequences for livestock producers.”

Ellingson and the Stockmen’s Association say supply and demand should determine the market. 

“Our organization has stood steadfast against market-altering policies,” the group said in a statement. “Otherwise, market signals get confused and chaos can result, just like we have seen the last few days since the announcement.”

For ranchers, fall is a critical time of year, when cattle that have been grazed during the summer are often sold. 

Frank Tomac is the president of Independent Beef Association of North Dakota and ranches in Sioux County on the South Dakota state line. 

“If our president continues to push this, then it’s going to continue to drop our prices,” Tomac said. 

The group is calling on its members and on consumers to resist Argentine beef imports and to call for labeling rules that would indicate if beef is imported, known as a country of origin labeling. 

“The consumer could then decide which product they want, whether they want the product of the U.S., or whether they want the product of foreign countries,” Tomac said. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday announced a plan to strengthen the cattle industry and lower beef prices for consumers.

The same day, Trump, in a social media post, took credit for the strength of the beef market. 

“The only reason they are doing so well, for the first time in decades, is because I put Tariffs on cattle coming into the United States,” Trump wrote, adding that beef producers need to bring down their prices. 

Matt Perdue, the former government relations director for the North Dakota Farmers Union who now is a candidate to become president of the organization, said he was “deeply disappointed” in the comment. 

Perdue said he supports Trump administration moves to open up more public lands to grazing and encourage young producers to get into ranching, but he said importing beef undercuts U.S. producers. 

Perdue said ranchers have endured a long stretch of low prices. “There’s finally a period of some financial success, and we have to ruin that?” Perdue asked.

U.S. Rep. Julie Fedorchak, R-N.D., on Tuesday signed a letter to Trump along with other House members asking for clarity on the policy. 

“We respectfully request additional information on this matter and urge your administration to ensure that any future decisions are made with full transparency, sound science, and a firm commitment to the U.S. cattle industry,” the letter said. 

Ellingson said this has been a good year for beef producers. The U.S. cattle herd has shrunk in recent years, in part because of drought conditions in prime cattle-producing regions. 

That has been a driver of higher prices for ranchers and at the grocery store, but Ellingson said demand for beef has remained strong in the U.S. and in export markets. 

“This has been a real positive time in the beef business, in many cases, hitting record prices for live cattle,” Ellingson said. “Consumer demand is as strong as it’s ever been.”

Reach Deputy Editor Jeff Beach at [email protected].

North Dakota Monitor is an affiliate of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization, supported by grants and donations. The Monitor’s editorial decisions are made locally by our team of North Dakota journalists. The Monitor retains full editorial independence.