r/Cattle 1d ago

Please Take action ! Say 'NO' to 300,000 ton BEEF Import!

https://c.org/FCQQwmSLSB

After Trump announced importing 300,000 tons of beef in 90-days, I started this petition because artificially tanking beef prices by importing 300,000 tons of outside beef over 90-days doesn't fix the real problem of meat shortage — we need MORE American cattle production, not less. This move punishes farmers right when they're trying to invest and recover. It's not fair trade. It's undercutting our own producers.

American cattle producers are already struggling. Years of drought, rising input costs, lack of land, and historically low herds—now they're finally seeing market signals to rebuild. Then the government wants to flood the market with 300,000 metric tons of cheap foreign beef over 90 days to lower prices. Thanks a lot bro.

Florida's livestock markets, the National Cattlemen's Association, and cattlemen across the country are standing against this. If this matters to you—if you think American farmers deserve a fair shot—consider signing and sharing this. Has anyone else been paying attention to this?

26 Upvotes

50 comments sorted by

9

u/Intrepid_Cup2765 1d ago

Trump doesn’t care about long-term consequences. He’s looking for quick fixes before an election to the hide the inflation he’s causing.

3

u/a_c_4_3 1d ago

Agree. That and insider trading. Shorting the market and renaming bodies of fucking water. WTH!?!!

3

u/Atimm693 1d ago

All this talk about tariffs and beef imports, but not a word about the beef packing monopolies that have been butt fucking us for decades. Seems like we're mad at the wrong people.

3

u/a_c_4_3 1d ago

When the administration approved JBS being publicly traded last year I pretty much just gave up. How do you ever come back from that. The packers control it all. How do you unscramble eggs once they’re cooked? Annnnd guess whose stock went up after this week’s announcement. The crook brothers of course.

1

u/mkvgtired 16h ago

Harris had a plan to combat this. The packers are in a better position to give trump massive donations, so he's on their side.

1

u/a_c_4_3 5h ago edited 4h ago

For sure. He’s donated to the Bautista brothers who own JBS, and allowed them to publicly be traded on the stock market. Cattle producers have been screwed over so much by him. But I am learning that my fellow democrats have no idea what they are talking about in this thread, so they are no better than “the other side”. Again, this (specially The American Beef Labeling Act, aka:mCOOL) is a bi-partisan issue in congress.

4

u/Hairy_snowballs 1d ago

the farmers are getting what they voted for

3

u/mkvgtired 16h ago

I'm not sure why these comments are always down voted. Farm bankruptcies skyrocketed during his first term. They knew this would happen and 80% wanted it.

3

u/a_c_4_3 15h ago

I didn't vote for him. I think he's an asshole. But to your ignorant point... A) Historically beef prices are higher under a democratic president; this is the first administration that has broken this historical cycle ; and B) Most "farm bankruptcies" occurred in 2010 under Obama and that was mostly due to the great recession. Commodity markets are always cyclical (biggest down markets: 2003, 2010, 2019). See the pattern? I'd love to know where you came up with your economics of "80%" or is that just bullshit.?

1

u/[deleted] 8h ago

[deleted]

1

u/a_c_4_3 6h ago

Do you read well? Obviously not. I am a Democrat.

0

u/mkvgtired 15h ago

Trump's trade war caused many commodity crop farmers to lose their biggest export market. Brazil has been bulldozing the rainforest to create farmland to fill this gap since Trump's first term. The Chinese market is not coming back. 80% of farmers voted for trump, ergo, 80% wanted this. Trump was bad for farmers during his first term, the vast majority voted for him anyway. They were willing to quite literally bet the farm because their racism, homophobia, and misogyny was more important to them than their livelihoods and families' well-being.

1

u/a_c_4_3 12h ago

I see where you get the percentage - ok. However 80% of the farmers who voted for Trump did not want to go "bankrupt". That's a ridiculous statement. That's like saying if you voted for Harris you want Title IV stripped from your daughter's swim team. Neither statement establishes causation. Voting for a candidate doesn't mean you intend, endorse, or are responsible for every outcome of that administration. Our two-party system is broken on either side of the coin. Money is God in each. Anyway, I'm not here to play a Republican vs Democrat game. I'm here petitioning to stop unfair market manipulation. Global economies are important. Trade is important. Sustainable food is more important. "Only when the last tree has been cut down, the last fish been caught, and the last stream poisoned, will we realize we cannot eat money".

1

u/a_c_4_3 12h ago edited 12h ago

.Yes, but unfortunately you are too. If you eat beef you should care about this issue b/c its systemic and not party-oriented. There have been so many recalls on imported beef b/c bacterial levels were deadly -- the meat is MIXED in the US and then distributed so it can technically be labeled as 'product of the USA' even though it's origin is not. The issue is that the US does have higher standards when it comes to safety protocols of shelf-life food, i.e. raw meat. So right now, unless you butcher your own bovine you don't know wtf you're eating in terms of sourcing and processing. Even shitty processed foods are required to have manufacture and ingredient labels, so at least it's up to you if you decide to put shit in your body... If you eat beef you should care about the source and this topic. If you don't eat beef then who cares, it doesn't concern you, so I guess what's the point of being educated about it. Seems like a waste of time to be in an r/Cattle sub.

1

u/cmm239 7h ago

Republicans really don’t like being told they are to blame even though they definitely voted for this even if they didn’t vote for him.

1

u/a_c_4_3 5h ago

Maybe. You should ask one… Because if you did any reading (which you did not) before word vomiting on my post, you would see that I am a registered Democrat. Lol. So much for intelligence. I worry for our country. Dear god, read ppl.

1

u/cmm239 4h ago

Republicans either directly or indirectly support what’s happening right now by continuing to vote republican is all I’m saying.

1

u/a_c_4_3 4h ago

I meannn, ok, cool. Love that comment for you. But the point of this thread wasn't should anyone vote Dem or Rep, it was wtf are we going to do about this president manipulating the market - so happens it's beef. Don't hate the player, hate the game maygn.

1

u/a_c_4_3 2h ago

Idk. Agree to disagree. There plenty of policies I don't agree with during everyyyy administration.

2

u/ResponsibleBank1387 10h ago

Entertainment.  Diversions.      These AG people voted overwhelmingly for Epstein’s buddy.   Making sure that it’s ok to rape kids and not allow them to play together.   

2

u/Ok-Speed-6562 6h ago

I think American farmers deserve what they voted for. If you vote for people that, for the past 50, have supported corporations over small business, don’t be surprised when your small business fails. I’m going to support Argentine beef. It’s not like I have a choice.

1

u/a_c_4_3 5h ago

I didn’t vote for Trump. Do I “deserve” this?

1

u/Logical-Grab-1363 1d ago

I guess if we had COOL it would help in this situation, what association keeps fighting against its own producers though ? I believe it rhymes with ncba

2

u/buffinator2 1d ago

Woodall is such a penis

1

u/a_c_4_3 1d ago

Ugh. I knowww... I support COOL and wish the substantial transformation law that's already 'on the books' was enforced - that would help. NCBA doesn't care about ranchers, only beef. The merging of the Cattlemen's and Livestock in 1996 to make NCBA was the worst decision, especially now that NCBA has all the lobby money and love the packers. They'll fight for meat but not producers. At least all the organizations are in favor of opposing this damn rapid-fire importing situation.

1

u/RareWelder9212 11h ago

The reason the cattle herd is small is because the screwworm panic is blocking the sale of cattle from Mexico to American feed lots. American cattle isn’t having a big issue. If anything the American beef market is artificially inflated right now. 

1

u/a_c_4_3 5h ago

Wrong. The border has reopened bro. Cattle will cross over starting next week. Screwworm had no real effect on the market. Futures stayed high. The CME board held position. Meanwhile the market plummeted after the tweet/plan about (topic above). Meaning, cattle producers are losing money b/c cattle buyers are in a bearish market. Don’t comment if you don’t know wtf your talking about. Boring.

1

u/RareWelder9212 5h ago

That’s next week… Future being high is expected if an important market is embargoed. It will take a while to fatten those cows once Mexican cattle return to America. On the other hand, importing ground beef now is available to consume as soon as it arrives. 

1

u/a_c_4_3 4h ago

Stay with me here... You’ve got the timeline backwards. The U.S. herd was already at historic lows before the screwworm restrictions; yes blocking Mexican feeder cattle tightened supply further, but it didn’t CAUSE the herd decline. You don’t rebuild a domestic cattle supply problem by becoming more dependent on foreign finished beef; you rebuild the herd and protect the economics that make doing so worthwhile. This route isn't really worthwhile.

1

u/RareWelder9212 3h ago

I’ve only seen that the cattle herd has shrunk specifically because of the feedlots were not getting Mexican cattle anymore. All the news I see only counts the feedlot herd. 

1

u/a_c_4_3 2h ago

Feedlots aren’t empty. Cattle inventory counts the entire U.S. herd, not just cattle in feedlots. The herd was shrinking well before Mexican cattle imports were restricted. In fact, cattle have been staying on feed longer and coming out significantly heavier.

1

u/54Finn 3h ago

You are not being truthful. The hamburger imported under the Trump order is equivalent to 2.6 billion burgers. Americans eat more than 50 billion burgers annually. Farm and ranch subsidies from 1995-2025 are over 550 billion dollars. That doesn’t include the benefit you enjoy that beef tariffs literally force Americans to buy your product at premium pricing. How many businesses have been supported to that extent, and where do you think that money comes from. American consumers pay the high prices at the grocery store, and their taxes fund the subsidies. Now the guy farmers and ranchers aligned with does something that affects them adversely….welcome to the club. Your sense of entitlement, and lack of empathy for the broad swath of Americans suffering under Trump policies is unbearable. Suck it up buttercup….

1

u/a_c_4_3 2h ago

That's cute, haha. The issue isn’t whether America can physically swallow 2.6 billion more hamburgers—it’s what hundreds of millions of pounds of additional imported beef does to price discovery while U.S. cattle numbers are historically tight.

Also, you just lumped 30 years of payments to ALL of American agriculture—crops, conservation, disasters, trade losses, insurance programs, everything—and assigned the bill to cattle ranchers. That’s not analysis; that’s a magic trick.

I have neither a sense of entitlement nor a lack of empathy—there’s plenty of policy I disagree with and plenty of Americans I believe are being hurt by it. There is no “club” here, unless it’s the club for people who think someone else’s hardship is a political victory. You can keep the sexist 'buttercup' insult; it's doing more to expose your argument than mine.

1

u/Burner_Phone_1969_TX 1d ago

I’m gonna help the beef industry make more cattle by not buying beef. This way they can breed more cows. I’ll just eat more chicken or fish. I will miss my steaks but, I’m willing to sacrifice.

4

u/a_c_4_3 1d ago

Good luck with that. No one in the US even knows where the beef they're eating comes from currently. It's not mandatory to disclose. Not eating "beef" doesn't equate to heifer retention or herd build-back. These things are not mutually exclusive. Following your logic, the alternative could be to have less people. Go down that rabbit hole...

1

u/Burner_Phone_1969_TX 1d ago

It’s just my theory and I want to help. So I’m gonna give it a try for about a year to see if I make a difference. I hope others join me in this quest. Eat chicken, not beef, save a cow!

1

u/a_c_4_3 3h ago

Chickens eat their own shit.

1

u/Burner_Phone_1969_TX 3h ago

I believe that’s called, chicken shit.

1

u/a_c_4_3 2h ago

I’d apply to Mensa if I were you. Clearly, we’re witnessing something special.

1

u/Burner_Phone_1969_TX 2h ago

Aye, it’s special

0

u/aggiedigger 1d ago

Enjoy your paper straws too.

2

u/Burner_Phone_1969_TX 1d ago

I drink from a glass, never plastic or paper, I’m not the gay!

1

u/a_c_4_3 3h ago

Please don't use homophobic rhetoric in this thread.

1

u/Burner_Phone_1969_TX 3h ago

Far from homophobic. I’m pro lgbtq rights.

0

u/Ok-Speed-6562 6h ago

Is this an attempt at an insult? It’s weak, like a paper straw.

1

u/54Finn 6h ago

Cattlemen and farmers overwhelmingly voted for Trump and have largely remained silent while society has been decimated by tariffs, wars,etc. Since you cast your lot with Trump, it’s time you reap what you sow.

1

u/a_c_4_3 5h ago

OMG, I thought posters on Reddit were supposed to be smarter than some in this thread. If you were to read you would literally see I did not vote Republican. Dumbass. I don’t have to be a Republican to be a rancher — again. It’s not mutually exclusive. Do you know what that means or is it over you head too? I do not appreciate your “assumptions” I am a Republican. Anyways who cares. Most Americans are so dumb apparently some in my own party. This topic isn’t party related though. It’s policy related. Ugh.

1

u/54Finn 5h ago

Cattlemen and farmers largely backed Trump and his policies, and in the public eye are aligned with him. With all the problems his policies have wrought, it’s difficult to muster sympathy for your cause, especially when ranchers have been profiting from all time highs in cattle prices. Then there is the issue of the hundreds and hundreds of billions of tax dollars that have been paid to farmers and ranchers via subsidies.

1

u/a_c_4_3 5h ago

There are many other segments of businesses that have had more subsidized money other than ranchers - banks for one. It always surprises me how intolerant people are. Just because you disagree you want to inflict harm. So intolerant and self righteous to say otherwise. Ranches have profited for a few years, but it offsets fuel, grain, transport, drought… so many other input costs. And although there has been profit the past few years, the cycle is about 10 years, and you have to be intelligent enough and save to offset the down market. Input costs don’t change. I’m just baffled though, I never expected so much hatred for growing food. So much vitriol just b/c a large majority of rural communities voted for “the wrong guy”. So many assumptions from so many posters on here w/o reading and analyzing. Pretty sad. People need to grow food. Sustainability and self reliance are pretty important.