Jim Richardson’s weekly trips to sell beef at the Battle Creek and Sunset Valley farmers markets in Austin, Texas have dipped in revenue. Local restaurants also aren’t buying much of his hormone- and antibiotic-free beef. He’s had to double his prices because of rising costs for processing, fuel, labeling, packaging, labor and electricity.
Now Richardson, a 77-year-old rancher based in Georgetown, Texas, with about a 100-head cattle herd, is facing another pain point: President Donald Trump’s announcement that the United States will import 300,000 metric tons of tariff-free beef in an attempt to lower costs for consumers.
“This deal will reduce prices for Americans while giving space for our Great American Beef Herd to grow again,” Trump said, promising the imported beef will cost 25% less than current prices. Ground beef now hovers around $6.89 a pound on average — some $3 higher than a decade ago.
Farm organizations, ranchers associations and Republicans swiftly rebuked the plan as detrimental to the American cattle industry, which is experiencing historically low numbers of cattle herds and severe weather patterns on top of Trump’s aggressive tariff measures. Importing foreign beef, agriculture groups say, undercuts American businesses that have increased their prices to stay afloat.
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Richardson, a self-described conservative, said he voted for Trump in 2024, but right now he’s “disappointed” in him and worried that these economic policies could reflect badly on the next Republican presidential nominee. The effects of tariffs and disputes with trading partners such as Canada are being felt at home, Richardson said.
“I don’t know if it’s to gain votes or control situations,” Richardson said Saturday, “but long term, we need more stability, less erratic swings.”
Richardson, who is also a retired veterinarian, said consumers will likely buy cheaper imported beef with questionable quality standards over American-produced beef.
“A lot of these countries — they’re out for the money,” Richardson said. “They use maybe insecticides or antibiotics that we don’t even have available in this country. So comparing the products is not fair, and I don’t think the consumer is going to be able to understand that. They don’t have any way to know this.”
Frustration over the imported beef stretched across the country, including in the heartland, where Republicans raised concerns that it would further harm American ranchers. Trump defended the move Friday, telling reporters he loves ranchers but that they “admit that we need a little help in order to get the prices down, so that’s what we’re doing.”
Missouri Farm Bureau President Garrett Hawkins said the new measure would “further erode confidence in the market.”
“Importantly, this proposal does not solve the underlying causes of high food prices and unfairly places the blame on American farmers and ranchers,” Hawkins said. “We strongly urge the Administration to reverse this decision and support American cattle producers.”
The president’s move — which allows the beef imports for 90 days, just past the midterm elections — is already becoming a major issue in the toss-up Senate race in Iowa.
Rep. Ashley Hinson, the Republican nominee in the race, wrote on X that the imports were a “bad idea” that would lead to “more uncertainty and instability for our farmers,” while her opponent, Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek, called it “another blow” to beef producers who have faced tariffs and rising diesel prices due to the war in Iran.
North Dakota state Rep. Dawson Holle, a Republican, posted that “you don’t put America First by putting American ranchers second.”
“I support President Trump, but supporting a president doesn’t mean staying quiet when a policy is wrong,” Holle said. “On this issue, he is wrong.”
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