Donald Trump ‘Destroying’ US Cattle Industry, Market Oper...

By Hugh Cameron

U.S. News Reporter

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The American cattle industry continues to express frustration with Donald Trump and his administration for policies they say are undermining domestic profits and threatening the nation's ranchers.

"Great job of destroying the United States Cattle industry," Mo-Kan Livestock auction owner Jim Hertzog posted to X on Monday, mentioning both the president and Agricultural Secretary Brooke Rollins. Hertzog included an image displaying feeder cattle futures and showing across-the-board declines in contract prices for young cattle.

Newsweek contacted the Department of Agriculture via email for comment outside of regular hours.

Why It Matters

Beef prices in the U.S. continue to climb to record highs—the beef and veal index were up 15 percent annually in the most recent inflation print—significantly outpacing broader price increases and adding to the financial woes facing consumers in late 2025.

However, proposals to address this from the administration—such as by importing large quantities of beef from Argentina—have drawn fury from America’s cattle ranchers.

Farmers warn that this will undercut their domestic competitiveness and profits, while experts believe this will do little to resolve the primarily domestic factors driving up prices.

What To Know

According to market data from Barchart, cited by Hertzog on Monday, cattle futures have dropped sharply in recent weeks after reaching record highs in early October. Feeder cattle prices were up significantly prior to this shift, and overall remain roughly 15 percent higher since the beginning of the year. Barchart is a provider of real-time or delayed intraday stock and commodities charts and quotes.

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"The auctioneer is correct," said John Boyd, farmer and the founder of the National Black Farmers Association (NBFA), in response to Hertzog’s post

“The feeder cattle I personally sold last week are significantly down in price," he told Newsweek. Feeder cattle are young cattle that typically weigh around 750lb, which are then raised until they reach over a 1000lb for slaughter.

"President Trump has ruined agriculture and American farmers and he has done [it] in less than a year’s time. When Trump announced he was going to import beef from his buddy Argentina it was downhill from that point," he added.

Industry observers have attributed the drop to expectations of increased beef imports—after Trump slashed tariffs on several agricultural products—as well as the recent announcement from Tyson Foods that it will be shutting a plant in Nebraska, while reducing operations at another in Texas and laying off thousands of workers.

What People Are Saying

Jim Hertzog via X: "Anytime the government gets involved, they mess everything up."

NBFA founder and President John Boyd told Newsweek: "I was depending on cattle to help make my fall annual payment. Trump has ruined the grain markets for farmers and now he's ruined beef too! This President clearly doesn't understand American agriculture."

President Trump, in response to anger over his Argentina beef deal, posted in October: "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. If it weren’t for me, they would be doing just as they’ve done for the past 20 years—terrible!"

What Happens Next

In addition to rolling back tariffs on beef imports from Brazil, one of America’s principal suppliers, Trump has ordered a probe into meat-packing companies over their potential role in the record-high prices facing consumers.

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