BILLINGS — Montana cattle producers are raising concerns about President Donald Trump’s proposal to import beef from Argentina to help lower domestic beef prices, warning the move could destabilize an already volatile market.
“We have concerns with the risk of destabilizing an already volatile market,” Raylee Honeycutt with Montana Stockgrowers Association said.
Watch why producers are concerned with Trump's proposal:
Honeycutt said that the Montana Stockgrowers Association is encouraging the Trump administration not to intervene in domestic beef markets, as cattle producers are receiving top dollar for their animals.
Trump announced his plan to import beef from Argentina as a solution to rising beef prices in the United States.
“The one thing that's kept up is beef. And if we buy some beef – I'm not talking about that much from Argentina. It would help Argentina, which we consider a very good country, a very good ally,” Trump said Sunday on Air Force One in a briefing with reporters.
The proposal comes at a time when Montana cattle producers are seeing significant profits from high cattle prices.
“We are currently seeing that cattle producers are, you know, seeing high value in their animals right now and being able to kind of reinvest in their operations as well as invest in their local communities,” Honeycutt said.
Local processors such as Kyler Thomson in Billings are seeing their costs rise because of high beef prices.
“A cow was running us between $33 to $3,800 just on buying the beef itself,” said Thomson, who owns Top Notch Meats in Billings.
Thomson said it's a challenge to maintain affordable prices for consumers while facing rising costs.
“It's getting expensive for just us to buy them, then turn them around, to then sell them for, you know, for a reasonable price. Or at least what the public can afford,” Thomson said.
Despite the cost challenges, Thomson emphasized the continued demand for locally sourced beef.
“A lot of people always want local beef, and, you know, we're definitely trying to supply that to Billings and the surrounding areas,’ Thomson said.
The Montana Stockgrowers Association believes market forces, rather than government intervention, should determine beef prices and supply.
“We believe that markets are free markets and should be dependent upon supply and demand and really hope that the administration will kind of take a step back and maybe re-think their decision to intervene, whether it be in pricing or in additional imports from Argentina,” Honeycutt said. “We want to ensure that confidence and make sure that Americans all around the country know that U.S. beef is safe, secure, and something that they should be putting into their family's households.”
