LUBBOCK, Texas (RFD NEWS) — A proposal branded “Make America More Ground Beef” is being promoted to lower grocery-store prices, but the economics suggest its primary impact would fall elsewhere. Hyrum Egbert, author of The Big Bad Beef Packer newsletter, argues the plan functions less like consumer relief and more like a buyout-style support mechanism for dairies under margin pressure.
Proponents claim that diverting up to one million additional dairy-origin cattle to slaughter could add more than a billion pounds of lean trim and sharply reduce ground beef prices. Egbert notes that math does not hold up. Typical dairy cow yields translate to closer to 200 pounds of lean trim per head, not the 1,100 pounds implied, dramatically shrinking the potential supply boost.
Processing capacity also limits impact. Cow slaughter plants are already operating near normal levels, so pushing additional volume would take months and create regional bottlenecks rather than provide rapid retail relief. Meanwhile, ground beef markets naturally adjust through blending and import substitution, muting price effects.
Egbert concludes that the program would most clearly benefit dairy producers and, conditionally, cow packers, while taxpayers fund the transfer, and consumers see limited sustained relief.
Farm-Level Takeaway: Policies aimed at ground beef prices may primarily reshape dairy incentives rather than deliver lasting consumer savings.
Tony St. James, RFD NEWS Markets Specialist
More flexible export financing could strengthen demand in emerging markets and support higher U.S. agricultural exports.
February 06, 2026 07:00 AM
·
Incremental trade clarity with India could support select U.S. ag exports, but major gains hinge on future market-access talks.
February 06, 2026 06:00 AM
·
Jones Hamilton Company shares insights on herd health, efficiency, and innovation for cattle producers this year at NCBA CattleCon in Nashville.
February 05, 2026 03:07 PM
·
The House Agriculture Committee is set to debate a new, “skinny” Farm Bill at the end of February, according to a release from Committee Chairman Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson.
February 05, 2026 12:35 PM
·
The fun continues in Nashville next year at CattleCon 2027!
February 05, 2026 11:24 AM
·
The phone call injected optimism into the soybean market, but actual Chinese buying and its timing will ultimately determine the extent of U.S. agricultural export benefits.
February 05, 2026 10:41 AM
·
Regulatory uncertainty could slow the growth of fiber and grain hemp unless implementation is delayed.
February 04, 2026 05:00 PM
·
Quick to prep and packed with flavor, this dish is a bold way to kick up any weekend spread.
February 04, 2026 02:54 PM
·
Mexico has fallen behind by several hundred thousand acre-feet in required water deliveries to the United States, a shortfall that has had devastating consequences across the Rio Grande Valley.
February 04, 2026 12:23 PM
·
