WASHINGTON, D.C. (RFD-TV) — With the cattle herd at a 75-year low and beef demand up, the new beef industry support plan unveiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) aims to steady prices by shoring up ranch economics and processing capacity.
Three pillars lead the USDA’s effort to rebuild the U.S. Cattle Herd:
- First: USDA–Interior Grazing Action Plan would reopen idle federal allotments (about 24 million acres), streamline permits, and strengthen disaster tools like LIP and LFP, while expanding risk-insurance subsidies for “beginning” ranchers up to 10 years.
- Second, processing and transparency: MPPEP grants (Meat & Poultry Processing Expansion Program) up to $2 million and loan guarantees to $25 million target small plants; FSIS (food-safety) will cut overtime inspection fees 75 percent for very small and 30 percent for small establishments; AMS (market reporting) will pilot LiDAR—light detection and ranging—at auctions to improve feeder-cattle data; “Product of USA” will be enforced Jan. 1, 2026.
- Third, demand: Farm-to-School grants ($18 million) and science-based Dietary Guidelines keep beef in nutrition programs, while EPA’s clarified WOTUS rule and scrapped wastewater proposal reduce compliance costs.
Farm Groups Split Praise, Concerns Over USDA Plan
USDA’s new beef plan drew broad approval for tackling long-running bottlenecks, but major cattle groups warn rumored Argentine imports could undercut a fragile herd rebuild.
The United States Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) welcomed headline items— a federal Grazing Action Plan, stronger predator compensation, clearer “Product of USA” labels, and support for small plants—yet blasted reports of an 80,000-metric-ton Argentina purchase as market manipulation that hit futures and threatens ranch cash flow.
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) cautioned that expanded imports during restocking could push family operations “deeper into the red,” increasing reliance on other countries for food.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) was sharper, urging the White House to drop the import idea and instead prioritize animal-health safeguards (New World screwworm facilities, FMD defenses) and regulatory relief.
From Colorado Springs, the Agribusiness Freedom Foundation (AFF) argued price pressures reflect drought-reduced supply and costs—not Brazil tariffs or packer “monopoly”—and noted Argentina lacks the capacity to materially lower U.S. prices. Across statements, groups largely back USDA’s structural fixes but reject short-term import moves they say won’t help shoppers and could stall herd recovery.
