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With dairy prices low, producers are looking everywhere to make an extra buck. And the Trump Administration's plan to import Argentine beef could upend the one edge dairy farmers had.
Many dairy farmers send their cows to be processed for meat to boost their profitability. And with high beef prices, that’s proved to be a big help.
“When you send those cows away, when they're done being milk cows, you're going to get a higher value for them,” Minnesota Department of Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen said. “That's where the value has been, much better today than it was a few years ago.”
With U.S. cattle inventory at a historic low, beef prices have surged, causing sticker shock at the supermarket. President Donald Trump announced a plan to quadruple Argentine beef imports in hopes of lowering prices.
But Petersen said the market should be allowed to self-correct rather than be meddled with. If herds build over time, the farm economy could stabilize better, he said.
“So when you think about America first, you think about food security for our nation, for having a quality beef program,” Petersen said.
Christine Leonard is a Minnesota dairy farmer from Norwood Young America. She said the news of increasing beef imports angered many in the farming community.
“I can tell you that there were a lot of people who were really upset when they heard that,” Leonard said. “It kind of went against what the whole administration had been talking about. As far as American-grown things, and then to talk about bringing in beef from another country is kind of wild.”
Leonard also said she’s worried about potentially bringing in diseases from Argentina through these beef imports.
“We really want to worry that we're not getting any sort of infectious diseases or bugs or anything like that coming in with the import of other cattle,” Leonard said. “To make sure that we're keeping our animals safe and really keeping the health of our own cattle herd in mind.”
The Trump Administration has acknowledged Argentina’s history with the disease and said it’ll keep tabs on the illness through its import monitoring.
Local response to International imports
Forcing the market to lower beef prices might be a misguided move, MDA Commissioner Petersen said.
“There's plenty of protein out there,” Petersen said. “People are still buying beef, but we have turkey, we have pork, we have a lot of different protein sources for Americans.”
He adds that the U.S. already imports beef not just from Argentina but also from Australia and New Zealand.
“We don't need to import more and depress our cattle markets,” he added.
Instead, Peterson said we should focus on domestic efforts, such as opening more private lands, developing grazing plans and supporting local butchers.
“You can look at our Minnesota Grown program, for example,” he said. “You can find people who sell directly to you.”
Leonard said she hopes consumers become more mindful of where they source their products. However, she said she wouldn’t blame people who are low-income for choosing to buy cheaper foreign goods.
“I don't want people to ever feel bad if they have to go with a cheaper product,” she said. “Because that's what they need to keep their family fed.”
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