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Leaders from Indiana’s agriculture industry are throwing up warning flags following President Donald Trump’s statements last weekend saying the United States could purchase beef from Argentina as a way to lower beef prices for American consumers.
Indiana Farm Bureau President Randy Kron is expressing concern over the potential negative impact such a move would have on Indiana cattle farmers and domestic beef production.
According to the Indiana Beef Cattle Association, Indiana has about 20,000 beef producers, and while the state’s beef herd is at its lowest since the early 1950s, Kron said farmers are now looking to expand their herds.
“But you have to understand it takes several years,” Kron said. “Breeding gestation’s about nine and a half months on cattle. [By the] time you get fat cattle, you’re about four years out. So this isn’t a quick fix.”
Kron said the beef futures market has been telling farmers that now is the time to expand. However, following Trump’s announcement, the market shifted, creating concern among farmers.
“A short-term fix isn’t going to help in the long run, and so there’s real concern out there,” he said. “And you have to remember, the cattle industry—this is the first time in probably a decade that they’ve been fairly profitable, and they need it.”
Indiana cattle farmers previously liquidated their herds, Kron said, because it wasn’t profitable at the time. But though retail prices are currently high, cattle farmers and beef producers are now drawing in revenue, which is allowing them to expand.
“I’m a believer in free market, and it will fix itself,” Kron said. “So you have to be careful when you send false signals about what’s happening, and imports will send a false short-term signal, and then it will tell farmers not to expand their herd. So it’s very critical how we do this.”
Kron also noted that while retail prices are high, demand for beef has stayed strong. He says that gives him confidence that U.S. producers, including those in Indiana, will rise to the occasion.
Trump, however, has not outlined a specific plan for importing Argentinian beef. Brian Shuter, executive vice president of the Indiana Beef Cattle Association and Indiana Beef Council, says the lack of clarity on such an effort also creates confusion.
Shuter also noted a lack of confidence in bringing in beef specifically from Argentina.
“Argentina has some some history with Foot and Mouth Disease, which is something we certainly would not want to bring over here to the U.S. and have effect on our industry,” he said. “Also, we already have a significant trade deficit with Argentina. So if you’re going to pick somewhere to bring some up some beef in from, I’m not sure Argentina would be our our first choice, and we prefer not to.”
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, or NCBA, echoed those concerns in a statement on Wednesday, saying Argentina has shipped beef valued at more than $800 million to the U.S. over the past five years, while purchasing only $7 million of U.S. beef.
On Wednesday, Trump responded to criticism over the proposed plan in a post on Truth Social saying that cattle ranchers “don’t understand” how they have benefited from the president’s tariff efforts.
“The Cattle Ranchers, who I love, don’t understand that the only reason they are doing so well, for the first time in decades, is because I put Tariffs on cattle coming into the United States, including a 50% Tariff on Brazil,” Trump said in the post. “If it weren’t for me, they would be doing just as they’ve done for the past 20 years — Terrible! It would be nice if they would understand that, but they also have to get their prices down, because the consumer is a very big factor in my thinking, also!”
The idea to bring in beef from Argentina has also drawn criticism from members of Congress, including Indiana’s Rep. Marlin Stutzman, a cattle farmer from LaGrange County.
“Being America First means putting American beef first,” Stutzman, a Republican, said in a statement to The Washington Post.
Both Kron and Shuter said that importing beef would cause additional strain on farmers who use cattle as a way to diversify their operations. Some cattle farmers also plant row crops like corn and soybeans, and those crops are not paying out like they have in years past.
“When you look at the rest of the agriculture sectors, they’re hurting right now. Row crop, corn, soybeans, are hurting really bad, or they’re losing money,” Kron said. “So if you’re diversified, [cattle] is the one sector that might be keeping your farm alive right now. So they are very concerned where we go [and] what’s going to happen.”
In its statement on Wednesday, the NCBA, said it “cannot stand behind the President while he undercuts the future of family farmers and ranchers” and that the president and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins should “let the cattle markets work.”
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