Importing cheaper beef from other countries is not the right way to lower costs for Mississippi families, farmers and Republican lawmakers say as they voice their disappointment with President Donald Trump’s plan to import 300,000 metric tons of beef into the U.S. and sell it at 25% below market prices over the next 90 days.
Trump claimed in an Aug. 21 social media post that the U.S. cattle herd fell to its smallest size in history during former President Joe Biden’s tenure, drastically increasing beef prices. The nation’s cattle herd has been steadily decreasing since 1975 and hit its lowest number since 1951 in 2024, U.S. Department of Agriculture data show. Beef prices began rising in 2020 due to COVID-19 during Trump’s first term and have increased by 57% over the last five years, NPR reports. Beef prices have increased by 9.4% since July 2025 and all food prices have seen a 3% increase since then, the USDA reports.
U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Mississippi cattle farmer and a member of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee, said she will continue to fight for policies to help cattle ranchers grow herds without relying on foreign beef imports, noting that she spoke to the White House about the matter.
“Mississippi and American cattle producers are weathering drought, high input costs, and a shrinking herd,” she said in an Aug. 24 social media post. “They shouldn’t be asked to absorb the cost of cheaper imports too.”
Her recent comments are in contrast with remarks made this past February where she said Americans who can’t afford beef “have so many proteins to choose from” during an interview with WLOX host Hugh Keeton. The host had asked what Republicans are doing to get both beef prices and the cost of living under control, pointing to a key 2024 campaign promise Trump made when he said he would “end inflation on day one.”
The Mississippi Cattlemen’s Association noted its “disappointment” with Trump’s announcement in an Aug. 21 press release.
“Fundamentally, this policy does nothing to encourage rebuilding the U.S. cow herd. Cattle producers are already facing higher input costs, particularly for food and fertilizer, and are now looking at the prospect of lower cattle prices,” the association said. “Higher production costs combined with downward pressure on cattle prices will not encourage producers to retain heifers, expand their herds or invest in additional cattle production. At best, this decision will delay efforts to rebuild the U.S. cow herd. At worst, it could cause long-term damage to those rebuilding efforts and further discourage American cattle producers from expanding production.”
The Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation expressed a similar opinion in an Aug. 21 press release that says Trump’s decision does not align with his administration’s “America First” agenda.
“The White House is creating an unlevel playing field against U.S. farmers who are already burdened by higher input costs as a result of tariffs and the Iran war. This decision will open the flood gates for foreign adversaries to enter the U.S. market tariff-free. Contrary to the Administration’s belief, this policy does not help the U.S. herd-rebuilding efforts and could possibly do permanent damage.”
Both the Mississippi Cattlemen’s Association and the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation said the president instead needs to focus on lowering gas prices and input costs for Americans to help farmers market their cattle.
Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson, who is also a Republican candidate for governor in the 2027 election, said the best way for the U.S. to grow its herd is to offer tax credits to farmers for heifer retention.
“American and Mississippi beef producers are grappling with high input prices, record droughts and the lowest herd size in over 70 years,” he said in an Aug. 22 Facebook post. “We need to double down on supporting and buying American beef, not foreign imports. I encourage everyone to look for the Product of U.S.A. label and buy U.S. beef only.”
He told Mississippians to find out where to buy Mississippi beef using the Genuine Mississippi website.
Although Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann in his social media post did not mention Trump by name, the lieutenant governor encouraged Mississippians to buy beef produced in the U.S. to “support American beef and our Mississippi cattle farmers.”
“Importing more foreign beef at a lower rate is not the way to significantly lower prices for Mississippi families,” Hosemann said in an Aug. 24 Facebook post. We need to focus on lowering the costs our ranchers face to raise their cattle and get their product to market. If we want to make beef more affordable, we need to support the farmers and ranchers who produce it. Choose U.S. beef.”
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