Lazy S Ranch cattle eat their fill of Bahia grass in the morning, then head to the shade of the trees until the hottest part of the day passes. [Photo by Katrina Elsken/Lake Okeechobee News]

Katrina Elsken

OKEECHOBEE- Both the Florida Farm Bureau and the Florida Cattlemen’s Association are pushing back on President Trump’s plan to import foreign beef completely tariff free in an effort the White House says will lower beef prices.

“As we work to rebuild this herd and help our ranchers, for the next 90 days, the United States will allow up to 300,000 metric tons of product for ground beef to be imported with no out of quota tariff,” posted President Trump on Aug. 21. “We have a commitment that this beef will be sold at 25 percent below current market prices.”

The White House has not disclosed which countries will supply the beef or how the 25% discount would be enforced at retail. A White House official said foreign exporters would provide the discount to be passed to consumers in exchange for tariff relief, but declined to identify who was involved.

This is the administration's second import-based intervention. In February, Trump signed a proclamation temporarily raising the tariff-rate quota for lean beef trimmings, permitting an additional 80,000 metric tons per year from Argentina in four quarterly tranches of 20,000 tons each.

“Florida Farm Bureau is deeply disappointed by the Administration’s move to flood the beef market with underpriced imports,” read the Bureau’s statement. “Farmers and ranchers are already contending with high input and regulatory costs, weather challenges, and supply chain disruptions. This action triggered immediate market shocks at the height of cattle marketing season, impacts producers will feel long after the tariff relief ends.”

Florida Farm Bureau went on to say that they share the President’s goal of affordable groceries, but that undermining domestic food supply only deepens the country’s dependence on foreign nations. They ended by calling on President Trump to abandon this plan, and said they stand ready to help the Administration work with farmers and ranchers toward market-based solutions.

“Artificially interfering with the cattle market is not sound policy,” said John Williamson, Florida Cattlemen’s Association President. “Especially when producers continue to face record-high prices for many of the inputs required to raise cattle. Strong markets are encouraging cattlemen to rebuild their herds, and government intervention that disrupts those market signals threatens both producer confidence and the long-term stability of America’s beef supply.”

USDA's Jan. 30, 2026 Cattle Inventory Report put all cattle and calves at 86.2 million head, down 0.4% and the smallest U.S. inventory since 1951. The beef cow herd totaled 27.6 million head, down 1% and is the smallest since 1961.

September feeder cattle futures opened down more than $6/cwt after President Trump’s announcement and the nearby live cattle contract was off more than $4/cwt, but by early afternoon most contracts had rebounded into positive territory.

The Florida Beef Council counts about 15,000 beef producers statewide and ranks Florida 13th in overall cattle numbers, with the top three ranking counties being Okeechobee, Highlands and Osceola. According to the Florida Beef Council, cash receipts from cattle and calf sales totaled over $546 Million.

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) CEO Colin Woodall said the group was disappointed about President Trump’s announcement, arguing that flooding the market with government-subsidized, below-market beef is not the way to rebuild the herd. He added that the announcement sacrifices long-term stability for short-term messaging.

Back in 2024 when President Trump was elected, NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane said the group was excited to work with the President to “undo the harm which cattle producers have endured under four years of “Bidenomics” and restore the free-market principles which have made U.S. cattle and beef the finest and safest in the world.