30 Days After Increased Beef Imports, US Ranchers Are Getting Paid Less for Cattle

Photo: Pete and Meagan Lannan’s Barney Creek Livestock operation, based on the Jordan Ranch in Livingston, Montana, May 23, 2022. (USDA/FPAC photo by Preston Keres). Attribution: “20220523-FPAC-PJK-0903_TONED” by U.S. Department of Agriculture via Flickr. Public Domain Mark Article by Lisa Held. Civil Eats – October 14, 2026.

October 14, 2026 – One month after President Donald Trump announced the country would import more ground beef to lower consumer prices, supermarket beef prices have barely dropped, according to a new analysis. Some American farmers and ranchers, however, are being paid much less for their cattle. The farmer advocacy group Farm Action released the analysis, which looked at U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) price data for the 30 days after the imports of cheaper beef began. During that time, the average retail price of ground beef decreased about 2 percent, by 13 cents per pound, from $6.92 to $6.79. At the same time, prices paid to U.S. beef producers for two categories of cows sold into the ground beef market dropped 12.2 and 13.9 percent. […]

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