Ranchers are being used as a 90-day pawn in the November elections, claims industry leaders

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Cattle markets fell swiftly after President Trump announced that the U.S. will pause higher tariffs on ground beef imports for 90 days to lower costs to consumers.

The president’s announcement comes as ranchers and farmers continue to suffer domestically from historically higher input costs as a result of the Iran war.

Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said the U.S. will allow up to 300,000 metric tons of ground beef to be imported without an out-of-quota tariff.

The tariff-rate quota lift will last 90 days.

Trump also said, “We have a commitment that this beef will be sold at 25% below current market prices,” but provided no additional details about how the price reduction would be implemented or which part of the supply chain would be responsible for lowering prices for consumers.

The action marks the second executive order by Trump aimed at lowering beef prices through increased imports. In February 2026, the administration implemented plans to import 80,000 metric tons of Argentine beef in quarterly tranches through calendar year 2026, saying it would lower the price of beef to consumers.

But the opposite happened with the average retail price of U.S. ground beef increasing by 15 cents per pound—from $6.74 in February 2026 to $6.89 in July 2026 (the most recent reporting period)—representing a roughly 2.2% rise.

Trump described his latest action as a “deal to substantially lower the price of ground beef for working American families.”

But “flooding the market with government-subsidized, below-market beef is not the way to rebuild the American cattle herd,” NCBA said.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) criticized the move, saying it would not address Trump’s stated intention of lowering the cost of beef to consumers or help rebuild the U.S. cattle herd that is at it’s lowest number in 70 years.

“This move sacrifices long-term stability for short term messaging,” said Collin Woodall, CEO of NCBA.

The U.S. Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) also responded, warning the move would sideline U.S. producers, threaten cattle prices and risk undermining consumer confidence in the beef supply.

“For decades, USCA has advocated for the federal government not to intervene in cattle markets, yet policy decisions have steadily moved in the opposite direction. From recent tariff exemptions for Brazil after violating deforestation standards, tariff exemptions for Argentina after violating forced labor standards to the expected reopening of the border to Mexican cattle on Monday in the face of additional New World screwworm cases, each action on its own sends a troubling market signal,” the association said in a news release.

“You don’t put America first by putting U.S. cattle producers last. This move will weaken our markets and gamble with food safety in the process,” said USCA president Justin Tupper. The St. Onge, S.D. auction market owner and rancher, added, “U.S. ranchers have endured years of low cattle prices and trade uncertainty, and now they are being used as pawns in a 90–day political timeline.

According to White House officials, the president will formally sign an executive order on the matter within the next two weeks.