Beef, Ranchers, and the Grocery Bill: What Americans Need to Know

I’ve been reading and listening to reports regarding the following issues which affect all Americans in their struggle with grocery bills, eating healthy, and keeping cattle ranchers and farmers in charge of beef production (pricing and safety from contamination).

These highlights, taken from a Scripps News article, is something we should become aware of during the ranchers and farmers’ struggles. President Trump is trying to do a foreign beef deal, importing 300,000 metric tons of ground beef and selling it 25% below market value. But many farmers and ranchers believe that this move is just a band aid on a bigger problem.

Many doubt it’s going to solve the problems in the food production systems, specifically relating to beef production.

Figures show the cattle ranching industry has been dwindling for decades. In January, America’s cattle inventory hit a 75 year low – with 86.2 million cattle and calves, and the number of cattle farmers is dropping too.

Rancher Jason Leavitt says, “We do not have enough supply for the demand that exists at our current price point for the product that we provide. This shows that there’s room for other people to come in”. However, Leavitt sells his beef directly to consumers, which protects his farm from the influence of the beef commodities market.

Other cattle farmers whose bottom line does rely on the market price of beef are “100% against” Trump’s deal. There’s skepticism across the beef industry whether the 25% savings the president promised will actually reach shoppers in the checkout line.

“What’s probably going to happen with this beef that’s being imported is the packers are going to mix it with domestic beef, pocket the savings, and the consumer is not going to see that much relief at the end of the day,” says Jim Bourne, owner of 1690 Farm in Maryland.

Let’s educate ourselves on this and other issues that truly “trickle down” to us; our well-being, and that of our children.

Kathy Walker, Dickson County Resident