08/22/2026
What does Trump's importing 300,000 metric tons do to the last of a dying breed of US farmers?
First, let's think about what it WON'T do.
It won't bring down the cost of fuel that is required to run every damn piece of equipment on the farm, which continues to climb due to the whole not a war thing going on in Iran.
It won't reduce the amount of fertilizer, seed or pesticide application farmers use to actually grow the feed for the cattle we currently have.
It won't make tractors, trucks, trailers or parts any cheaper. And it certainly won't make our tires cost any less, which for some of us, that rubber is 30% of our operating costs and you're talking $10,000 on one darned piece of equipment!
All of this matters because input cost determines output. In order to not completely lose your 🍑 farming you have to make more than you spend raising the livestock, maintaining the equipment, planting crops and so on.
But what "CAN" it do?
It can make beef cheaper for consumers which sounds great, until you realize that means US farmers cattle prices go down while our operating costs continue to go up. Also, there is NO guarantee that it will reduce the prices in the store.
It can devastate the already shakey beef market and send even more farmers belly up. Which, in turn, will ultimately send beef prices up AGAIN.
And what WILL it do?
It WILL benefit the big four beef processors and screw over your local processors whose names you know and kids play on your kids sports teams. They are already shutting down.
It WILL put product on the shelves in local grocery stores that had significantly less oversight regarding food safety and quality. This puts the consumer at risk because who the heck knows how long those cows were dead, what condition they were in, parasites they had or diseases they were possibly infected with.
It WILL add to the existing risk of investment for young folks considering farming, reducing the likelihood of future farmers taking the plunge and feeding people all around the world.
I could rant on and on. It's irresponsible. It is NOT putting American farmers first. It's kicking them while they are already down. Take a drive through rural America. Look at the empty, dilapidated barns where cows were once milked and pastures where steers roamed. Cities keep getting bigger and bigger, while farms get fewer and fewer. Su***de rates among farmers are soaring and this sure as heck doesn't help.
While I know I have been saying this for quite some time, it's crucial that we as a nation EAT LOCAL BEEF. Make it a point to find out which grocery stores or restaurants are going to carry this imported beef and not consume it. Search online or ask around about locally raised beef.
Let's or y'all can prepare to eat bugs and lab created meat in a few years.
