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R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard weighs in on President Donald Trump’s new farm aid announcement, what it means for the industry and the widening spread between beef and cattle prices in “Making Money.”
president donald trump On Friday, he signed an executive order temporarily expanding the amount of beef the US can import from Argentina, a move the White House says is aimed at reducing prices but which the country’s largest cattle industry group disputes.
The proclamation increases by 80,000 metric tons the contingent tariff quota for lean beef cuts for calendar year 2026. The additional imports will be fully allocated to Argentina and released in four quarterly installments beginning February 13.
The White House said the move is intended to increase supply and make ground beef more affordable for American consumers. information sheet in order
According to the proclamation, the Trump administration is acting in response to historically high beef prices and a prolonged decline in the US cattle herd.
Packages of meat in a Houston supermarket (Ronald Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
“Since January 2021, ground beef prices have continued to rise, reaching an average of $6.69 per pound by December 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the highest since the Labor Department began tracking meat prices in the 1980s,” the proclamation states.
The announcement drew pushback from the country’s largest livestock industry group, which questioned whether increased imports would deliver the price relief the administration is promising.
“While we fundamentally disagree with the premise that increased imports can lower beef prices, the NCBA is encouraged that the Trump administration takes the necessary steps to address the market access challenges for U.S. beef in Argentina,” said Kent Bacus, executive director of international trade and market access for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).
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Livestock in pens in Canuelas, Buenos Aires, Argentina (Agustin Marcarian/Reuters/Reuters Photos)
Bacus warned that Argentina’s history with foreign animal diseases raises concerns about expanding imports without stronger safeguards.
“Given Argentina’s problems with foreign animal diseases, the NCBA remains concerned that expanding imports from Argentina without increased inspection protocols and updated audits could put American consumers and our livestock herd at unnecessary risk,” Bacus said.
The order only applies to lean beef cuts, which are mainly used in the production of minced meat. Imported lean trimmings are commonly mixed with fattier domestic trimmings to produce ground meat products such as hamburgers.
According to the proclamation, the additional 80,000 metric tons will be administered on a first-come, first-served basis in four equal tranches of 20,000 metric tons. The first tranche will open on February 13 and close on March 31, followed by quarterly openings until the end of 2026.
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A butcher carries slabs of beef in a grocery store in Miami. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images/Getty Images)
The White House framed the action as temporary and tied to current supply conditions rather than a permanent change in US trade policy.
The proclamation describes several factors contributing to the tight beef supply, including persistent drought conditions in major cattle-producing states such as Texas and Kansas and wildfires that have damaged rangelands and feed supplies in the western United States.
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The Trump administration said the decision to allocate the entire increase to Argentina aligns with an existing trade framework agreement between the US and Argentina reached in November 2025. A White House official told FOX Business earlier this week that the executive order implements commitments already considered in that framework.
The White House referred FOX Business to a fact sheet for further comment.
Edward Lawrence of FOX Business contributed to this report.
