WILLIAMSPORT, Tenn. – American ranchers are facing the smallest cattle herd in 75 years as the Trump administration rolls out a plan to lower beef prices and rebuild the herd.
President Donald Trump on Friday revealed his plan to waive higher tariffs on beef imports for 90 days. The plan would allow 300,000 metric tons of foreign beef to be sold 25% below the current market value. A pound of USDA Choice beef cost an average of $10.49 in August.
“This deal will reduce prices for Americans while giving space for our Great American Beef Herd to grow again,” Trump posted to Truth Social.
According to the USDA, the United States entered 2026 with 86.2 million cattle and calves, which is the smallest cattle herd since the 1950s. That’s down from about 94.7 million since 2019.
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The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s CEO, Colin Woodall, came out against Trump’s announcement, saying he was “disappointed” in the plan.
“While America’s cattle producers share the goal of keeping groceries affordable for consumers, flooding the market with government-subsidized, below-market beef is not the way to rebuild the American cattle herd,” Woodall said in a statement.
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall warned Trump’s plan would translate to a 60% increase in imports over the next 90 days.
“We appreciate the president’s goal of reducing grocery costs, but short-term measures could have long-term negative effects for consumers and for ranchers who are making decisions on whether to retain or expand their herd. Growing dependence on foreign-grown food could ultimately lead to even higher grocery costs and reliance on other nations for our food security. We urge the president to strongly reconsider his plan,” Duvall said in a statement.
Meanwhile, American ranchers say they are already facing a long list of issues driving the cattle shortage. Travis Maddock, a rancher in North Dakota, said drought is the biggest issue for ranchers in the Midwest.
“There’s an appetite for expansion, but we are in a drought,” Maddock said. “Some of my fellow producers that I’ve spoken with, they’re going to hold off a year.”
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Ranchers in the Southeast are facing very different issues.
Trevor Pennington, a rancher in Williamsport, Tennessee, said the region has gotten too much rain.
“Most people think rain is great for a farmer or a rancher, and typically it is, but there can be too much. It keeps us out of the fields from cutting hay,” Penington said. “Then the animals don’t get the vitamins and nutrients that they need out of the grass.”
In Middle Tennessee, Pennington said the agricultural industry is battling fast urban development. Many farmers and ranchers end up selling their land to make a profit.
“The next generation doesn’t want to take on that workload,” Pennington said. “At the end of the day, if a farmer wants to leave something to his family, the best case for him is probably to sell his land and leave the money to his family.”
Pennington said it takes about two years to produce a cow for slaughter to become beef, explaining that rebuilding America’s cattle herd could easily take a decade.
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