RANCH Act Looks To Rebuild The Herd In A Different Way

A President Trump’s proposal to temporarily allow more foreign beef imports without triggering higher tariffs is drawing criticism from agriculture organizations. At the same time, South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar are promoting a different approach they say would strengthen the nation's cattle industry from the ground up. Earlier this month, the pair introduced the bipartisan Rebuilding America's National Cow Herd, or RANCH, Act.

They note the legislation would create a voluntary grassland restoration program and make up to 20 million additional acres available for grazing. Rounds said increasing domestic production is a better long-term solution than relying on imported beef.

“How can a cow-calf operator, or for that matter, a cattleman, look at this thing and say, should I keep my heifers this year and hope for a good price two years from now on the returns of a heifer, or am I better off to sell that heifer right now and hope, like, heck, the prices go up again, or that maybe the prices come down, and I can buy back in again? When you've got guys in D.C. that are always talking about importing more beef to bring the price down to the consumer, that doesn't do much to help that, you know, for stability for that cow-calf operator to know that it's the right thing to do to keep that calf and raise it for two years before they're going to get a return on investment on it.”

MCOOL Needs To Return

Rounds added the U.S. needs to get more acres, especially marginal quality cropland, back into grass before we start importing mass quantities of foreign beef. And, the South Dakota Republican said if the U.S. does import beef, Americans should know what they’re buying through Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling.

“Let's get some more land back into grass, and then let's go back to the folks in D.C. that are always thinking about importing more livestock and say, if you're going to import more livestock, at least give that consumer the tools to know that it's not American beef, you know, and give our guys a chance to compete against that foreign stuff that doesn't have the same guidelines and safety on the production or the quality of the meat," Rounds said. "I think mandatory country of origin labeling is really important. Let's get that across the finish line, but once again, let's get this RANCH Act in place and give our young people a chance to build those foundation herds as well.”

The Administration's Idea Is Not Popular

Trump's proposal to expand tariff-free beef imports has drawn opposition from several producer groups, including R-CALF USA, the U.S. Cattlemen's Association, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, and the National Farmers Union.

Critics argue the move could put additional pressure on domestic cattle producers.

Click Here to read the RANCH Act.

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