Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is pushing back against President Donald Trump's call to import beef from Argentina, saying it would hurt Texas ranchers already facing historically low cattle numbers — and he's offering his own plan instead.
The Trump administration recently announced it would quadruple Argentine beef imports in an effort to lower record high beef prices at the grocery store — a move that's drawn sharp criticism from U.S. cattle producers, including Miller. A longtime Trump ally, Miller said he sent a five-point plan to the White House on Thursday which outlines ways to strengthen domestic beef production without relying on foreign imports.
"I applaud President Trump for wanting to lower beef prices, I agree with him on that," Miller told The Texas Newsroom. "I've got some suggestions on how to do it in a better, more efficient way that wouldn't hurt ranchers, but would still benefit consumers."
Miller's proposal includes importing breeding cattle — not packaged beef — to help rebuild the nation's depleted herds. The U.S. cattle population has fallen to its lowest level in more than seven decades, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This comes amid persistent drought conditions and water shortages in South Texas. The Texas Department of Agriculture, along with federal partners, launched a $280 million grant program earlier this year to help struggling farmers throughout the region.
Miller also emphasized that importing more Argentine beef would only lower the price of hamburger meat, not high-quality cuts like ribeyes, strips and sirloin. Additionally, he says bolstering the U.S. cattle population would help reverse the country's more than $40 billion agricultural trade deficit.
The Texas Agriculture Commissioner's plan also calls for offering a tax credit to encourage producers to retain more cows and heifers and to reopen imports of live cattle from Mexico, which have been largely halted over New World Screwworm concerns along the border. About 15% of the country's cattle comes from Mexico.
If done safely, Miller said reopening that supply chain could lower U.S. beef prices "overnight."
"Now it's a little tricky, we got to be careful, but we could open that up judiciously and not wreck the entire beef market," Miller said.
Miller is also calling on the federal government to open more land for grazing. On Wednesday, the Trump administration announced it would allow ranchers to use portions of federal land for that purpose, one of the steps Miller had urged. He also wants the federal government to open up Conservation Reserve Program land, privately owned property set aside for environmental conservation, to be used for grazing.
"These five actions will rebuild America's cattle herd, stabilize beef supplies, lower consumer prices, and support our nation's cattle producers," Miller said on Thursday.
The Texas Newsroom is a public radio journalism collaboration that includes NPR, KERA in North Texas, Houston Public Media, KUT in Austin, Texas Public Radio in San Antonio and other stations across the state.