Finally, someone’s listening to America’s ranchers — and it’s Donald J. Trump. The former president’s call for a Justice Department investigation into possible price-fixing in the meatpacking industry has cattle producers across the country breathing a sigh of relief. As former National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Marty Smith told Newsmax, “President Trump has been a great supporter of the United States cattle industry.”
And let’s be honest — they could use the support. Beef prices are at record highs, but the folks raising the cattle aren’t seeing those profits. “Our beef supply is down, and demand has stayed extremely strong,” Smith explained, noting that years of drought and poor crop yields have made it harder for ranchers to keep up. Meanwhile, grocery store prices keep climbing, and consumers keep paying the price — literally.
Trump’s announcement on Truth Social this week made it clear he’s not going to let big corporations or foreign-owned packers take advantage of American ranchers anymore. He called on the DOJ to investigate “illicit collusion, price fixing, and price manipulation” among the handful of companies that dominate the U.S. beef market. As usual, he’s saying what everyone else is too afraid to say out loud.
Smith pointed out that this isn’t a new problem. “Back in 2020, in the early days of COVID, we saw a great disparity between the price of cattle and the price of beef,” he said. “The price of cattle dropped immensely, while beef in the store continued to rise.” Under Trump, the White House jumped on it immediately — within 24 hours, according to Smith. But when the Biden administration took over? Crickets. No updates, no answers, no accountability.
It’s no wonder cattlemen feel like they’re being squeezed. “We are price takers,” Smith said. “We don’t control the price that we get.” Translation: the packers call the shots, and the producers have no choice but to take whatever scraps they’re offered.
Adding insult to injury, two of the four major packers controlling 80% of the industry are foreign-owned — from Brazil, no less. So while American ranchers are struggling, foreign corporations are raking in profits.
Smith summed it up best: “If there is something there, and they find something, they’ll do something about it.” With Trump back in the fight, maybe this time they actually will. Because protecting America’s ranchers — the people who feed the nation — isn’t just good policy, it’s common sense. And that’s something Washington could use a lot more of.
