Arizona ranching leader says Trump’s beef import plan won’t lower prices, calls it ‘all wrong’

President Donald Trump’s plan to lower beef prices by increasing imports is causing concern among local ranchers, according to Brian DeGanahl, president of the Arizona Cattle Growers’ Association.

“The way he’s going about it is all wrong,” DeGanahl told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News Wednesday.

Last week, Trump announced that more foreign beef would temporarily be allowed into the U.S. without facing higher tariffs.

“The administration is trying to help our industry, but the short-term market manipulation fix I don’t think’s going to work,” DeGanahl said.

U.S. is seeing record beef prices; Trump hopes imports will lower them

The president said on social media that the imported beef would be sold at 25% below current market rates.

The announcement came amid record-high beef prices. The increase has been driven by historically low U.S. cattle inventories and steady consumer demand, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

“We have the same number of cattle as we did in 1949 right now,” DeGanahl said.

DeGanahl said ranchers are producing cattle with larger carcass weights, which is helping the industry keep up with strong demand.

“Consumers like beef,” DeGanahl said. “We’ve proven the silly science wrong of the ’80s and ’90s, and beef is a superfood. The consumer wants it, and it’s supply and demand. That’s how you get high prices.”

Rancher isn’t sure Trump’s plan is good for Arizona consumers

It remains to be seen how the additional imports will affect Arizona ranchers, but DeGanahl said producers need market stability to rebuild the nation’s cattle supply.

“The Trump administration’s idea of artificially bringing in lower-priced beef is a bad idea,” DeGanahl said. “I don’t think it’ll work as far as consumer prices, and it’s bad for the producers, too. We need certainty to rebuild this herd.”

Trump remains under pressure to address high costs and other affordability concerns ahead of November’s midterm elections.

“The president, he’s getting pushed on consumer prices, and beef is one of them,” DeGanahl said.

However, he isn’t sure this plan to flood the nation with foreign beef will help with prices in the long run.

“You know, 300,000 metric tons sounds like a big number, but in the big scheme of things, I don’t know if that’s going to affect the consumer prices or not,” he said. “That remains to be seen.”

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