Fallout among cattle farmers continues over President Donald Trump’s decision to import beef from other countries, but the White House and U.S. Department of Agriculture are now touting a new initiative they say will strengthen domestic cattle producers.
Trump said Friday in a Truth Social post that he plans to break up what he called a “powerful monopoly” among large beef processors. He said he would authorize legal documents allowing farmers and ranchers to process their own beef.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins immediately praised the announcement, saying more details would be released in the coming days.
On Monday, Rollins announced the Ranchers First Initiative, a package of actions the USDA says is designed to rebuild the U.S. cattle herd, expand processing opportunities, and put more resources in the hands of American ranchers.
According to a press release, the initiative includes:
- New insurance tools for heifer retention: The USDA plans to establish the Beef Retention and National Development, or BRAND, endorsement for Livestock Risk Protection. The program would allow producers to insure the economic value of keeping a heifer for breeding over a two-year period.
- More flexibility following disasters: Ranchers will be allowed to use the Emergency Conservation Program on Grassland Conservation Reserve Program acres to speed recovery following wildfires and other natural disasters.
- More support for local processing: The USDA will create a SPUR Guaranteed Loan Program to support regional processing facilities, including processor cooperatives and expansions of small businesses. The department also plans to establish a Regional Processor Continuity Effort aimed at strengthening regional processing capacity and keeping more of the meat supply chain in the hands of independent, American-owned operations.
- More American beef in government purchases: The USDA plans to prioritize locally processed, American-raised beef in federal and state institutions, including prisons and hospitals, in an effort to increase demand for domestic beef.
- Support for beginning and veteran ranchers: The department plans to establish an initiative focused on new ranchers while working with federal agencies to connect transitioning service members with farming and ranching opportunities.
“President Trump promised to put the American ranchers first, and the Ranchers First Initiative delivers on that promise,” Rollins said. “We are investing real dollars to rebuild the Great American Beef Herd, giving producers the risk management tools they need, cutting the red tape that has squeezed small and independent operators, and demanding transparency in a marketplace that has been consolidated and foreign-owned for far too long.”
The announcement comes as the cattle industry faces continued uncertainty over the size of the nation’s herd, which is at a 75-year low, and Trump’s plan to increase beef imports.
At the same time, Trump has not backed away from his plan to temporarily import 300,000 metric tons of foreign beef tariff-free, a move the administration says is intended to lower grocery prices but that producers have warned could put future cattle markets in jeopardy.
