Farm Bureau expresses frustration with imported beef proclamation

Bozeman, Montana -- Montana Farm Bureau Vice President Casey Mott has expressed frustration with President Trump’s announcement of importing an additional 300,000 metric tons of beef into the United States, tariff-free.

“As a rancher I am extremely disappointed in President Trump’s proclamation to drop tariffs on imported beef. It will certainly affect prices paid to the rancher but I’m not so sure it will reduce the price paid by consumers,” said Mott. “The prices Montana ranchers have  received for their cattle have been good recently. Those good prices finally provided us with the ability to catch up financially because the inputs for raising beef have increased $400 per animal from 2020; that’s nearly 30 percent. That means we must make that much more to break even. Everything we put into raising that beef has increased, including the cost of hay, leased pasture, pickup trucks, tractors and equipment. Even the cost of our groceries has increased, and diesel prices have skyrocketed. I don’t see any of our costs decreasing. Dropping the tariffs on imported beef certainly will have a huge negative impact on the feeder cattle market.”

Mott, who ranches north of Miles City, noted that his family had contracted months ago when prices were high, but explains they still take culled cows and culled bulls as well as calves that didn’t make the contract, to the livestock auction.

“The timing couldn’t be worse,” said Mott. “Those imports will start in September and October, the exact time most ranchers are selling their animals.”

Vice President Mott moves cows horseback.

Wes Jensen loads his feeder steers.

Former MFBF District 6 Director Wes Jensen explained that despite higher costs, consumers are still buying beef. “There are lot of facets to all this, but even with the high cost of beef in the grocery stores, people are still purchasing our beef,” said the McCone County rancher. “It’s important that we keep beef on the shelf for people to enjoy. The market needs to be left alone to follow supply and demand and let the markets balance themselves out. I don’t believe adding tariff-free beef to the marketplace is going to bring down the price of beef to consumers. All that will do is hurt ranchers who are trying to keep up with inflation.”

American Farm Bureau Federation economists have analyzed the potential consequences of increased imports in the latest Farm Bureau Intel. A glut of foreign raised beef could drive down prices paid to ranchers at a time when critical farm business decisions are made.

Also today, Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall sent a letter to President Trump urging him to reconsider his plan to flood the market with foreign beef.

Falling prices paid to farmers would be the latest blow to a sector that just recently began a fragile recovery. AFBF economists write, “The reason for the historically small beef cow herd is multifaceted. First, drought conditions across much of the U.S. has forced ranchers to liquidate cattle or put cattle on feed because of the lack of homegrown forage. Second, according to USDA’s Economic Research Service’s cost and return data, input costs for cow-calf producers, i.e., ranchers who maintain a herd of beef cows for breeding purposes, reached a record high of $1,762 per head in 2025. Nearly every line item for cow-calf operators is more expensive today than ever before.”

In his letter to President Trump, Mr. Duvall wrote, “A key tenant of your reelection campaign was affordability, including the costs of essentials like groceries and gas. Bringing down the price of cattle will not bring the price of beef down for American families. Instead, it will discourage American farmers and ranchers from making long-term investments in herd rebuilding, extending the cycle of tight cattle supplies, high production costs and elevated beef prices for consumers. To put it simply, allowing 300,000 metric tons—equivalent to more than 660 million pounds—of foreign beef into the United States at a 25% discount ‘below market prices’ will undermine America’s ranchers who work tirelessly to grow food for American families.”

To make your voice heard on this issue with comments to our Montana Congressional Delegation and to President Trump, visit votervoice.net/FarmBureau/campaigns/139424/Respond.