President Donald Trump said his administration is looking at buying more beef from Argentina to drive beef prices down in the US. That sparked outcry from American beef producers.
Beef prices in the US have increased over the past couple decades due to a variety of factors, including a parasite in Mexican cattle.
The National Cattleman’s Beef Association responded saying the plan “only creates chaos…while doing nothing to lower grocery store prices.” That same sentiment spread to South Dakota producers.
US Sen. Mike Rounds echoed similar concerns on the social media platform X. He wrote that he had conversations with President Trump and USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins.
I spoke with President Trump and Secretary Rollins today about the concerns I’ve heard from hundreds of South Dakota ranchers over the last two days regarding importing additional Argentinian beef. We agree that we need an America First game plan that prioritizes American…
— Senator Mike Rounds (@SenatorRounds) October 21, 2025
Rounds said the conversation left him “encouraged” that the administration would “do right by the American producer.”
Rounds said he’s pushed Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling on all beef.
He said that adding in more foreign competition on the beef market without being able to differentiate where it came from “would only exacerbate the problem and hurt domestic producers.”
On Wednesday, President Trump posted on Truth Social saying while he loves cattle ranchers, the only reason they're doing well for the first time in decades is because he "put Tariffs on cattle coming into the United States...If it weren't for me, they would be doing just as they've done for the past 20 years — Terrible!" He added that he is factoring in the consumer as well.
