Name: Iowa farmers fear new blow as Trump boosts Argentina beef imports
Uploaded: 2025-10-28T02:01:04.799Z
Duration: 2 min 20 s
Description: After losing soybean sales to China, Iowa farmers now worry cattle prices will drop as President Trump pushes to import more beef from Argentina.

After losing soybean sales to China, Iowa farmers now worry cattle prices will drop as President Trump pushes to import more beef from Argentina.

Iowa

The Trump administration is considering a plan to increase beef imports from Argentina in an effort to reduce rising beef prices in the United States. This proposal has raised concerns among Iowa cattle ranchers, who have already faced financial challenges due to trade disputes affecting corn and soy sales. Local producers worry that the increased imports could further reduce their profits, with some expressing disappointment that the administration's trade policies do not appear to support domestic beef production. Industry representatives argue that the additional imports would only make up a small portion of the US beef supply and are unlikely to significantly lower grocery prices. Meanwhile, farmers are awaiting further details on promised government aid packages, which have been delayed.

Iowa farmers fear new blow as Trump boosts Argentina beef imports

The Trump administration's proposed plan to bring down the cost of beef is raising concern among American cattle ranchers. With ground beef prices nearing 13 percent higher than last year, the administration is considering importing more beef from Argentina. Lana Zak reports ranchers fear the plan will eat into their already dwindling profits. After several years of losing money on cattle, Berlin and Pete Wobetter were looking forward to turning a profit. They also grow corn and soy, those sales devastated by the ongoing trade war with China. How important is it to you that you have cattle when soy and corn is going so poorly? Well, it's going to depend on the year, but this year it is the one thing that is going to make any money for us. So the Wobetters were astounded when President Trump announced he wanted to quadruple beef imports from another country. If we do that, that will bring our beef prices down. It would help Argentina, which we consider a very good country, a very good ally. His words sent wholesale cattle prices plummeting. In the supermarket, the price for meat has skyrocketed over the past year. Ground beef up nearly 13 percent, steak up 16 percent. You have to look at the total supply chain. Brian Whalen is a CEO of the Iowa Cattlemen's Association. He says Americans won't really see grocery savings from increasing beef imports. It really only is going to be about 2.5 percent of our total beef supply. It's really not going to make a substantial difference. The Wobetters and their neighbors say they're disappointed that the president's America first trade agenda doesn't include them. The whole point of tariff was to bring production back home. So we are producing beef here and now he is trying to do something to destroy that production. We're being used and abused as producers. It feels like being a pawn in a game we're not going to win. Now President Trump and China's President Xi Jinping are supposed to be meeting on Thursday. The administration says that they are close to a trade deal which would have China buying back up some of that American soy. Meanwhile, all the farmers here are waiting for the details of that aid package that was promised but has been on hold because of the government shutdown. John. Lana Zak in Iowa for us. Thank you.

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