American cattle ranchers are now pushing back hard against the president’s new beef import deal with Argentina, warning it could devastate an industry already struggling with record costs, shrinking herds, and unpredictable trade policies.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) blasted Trump’s plan this week, saying that importing Argentine beef to lower U.S. meat prices “only creates chaos at a critical time of the year for American cattle producers.” NCBA CEO Colin Woodall argued the deal would undercut U.S. ranchers who are just beginning to recover from years of market instability.

“I’m appalled President Trump, who campaigned on how he loved farmers, is putting America’s farmers out of business by helping Argentina farmers first,” said John Boyd, founder of the National Black Farmers Association.

While the administration defends the move as a way to bring down historically high beef prices for consumers, the political backlash from rural America — a key bloc in Trump’s base — has been swift. Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE), who represents one of the nation’s top cattle-producing states, urged Trump to reconsider, saying ranchers “cannot afford to have the rug pulled out from under them when they’re just getting ahead or simply breaking even.”

The tensions come as the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee voted 19–5 this week to advance the Fix Our Forests Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at overhauling forest management and reducing wildfire risks — another issue central to western ranchers.

The NCBA strongly supports the measure, calling it a step toward “unleashing the conservation prowess of ranchers” by expanding the use of livestock grazing as a wildfire mitigation strategy and reducing government red tape. “The federal government must better utilize grazing to combat the wildfire crisis,” said Kaitlynn Glover, NCBA’s executive director of natural resources.

But while ranchers broadly back the wildfire legislation, their optimism about domestic policy has been overshadowed by frustration over Trump’s Argentina beef deal and his foreign aid strategy.

Beef prices have soared to record highs this year as American cattle herds reach their lowest levels in decades, and imports from major producers like Brazil have plummeted under Trump’s 50 percent tariff policy. Ranchers say that instead of opening the door to Argentine imports, the administration should focus on investing in domestic production and rural infrastructure.

As one Kansas rancher told local media, “We don’t need foreign competition and flashy trade deals — we need fair prices and a president who keeps his word to American farmers.”

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