Marianne Goodland’s report in Colorado Politics captures a rare sight on the Front Range: bipartisan unity, and it’s not the kumbaya kind. The article details President Trump’s plan to cool U.S. beef prices by importing more beef from Argentina, a move Politico says could quadruple current volumes. Colorado producers and politicians across the aisle are not amused.
Sen. John Hickenlooper calls it “getting in the middle of market prices,” citing an immediate price dip that hits right as producers are shipping cattle. Industry voices add context: Argentine imports are mostly lean trim for hamburger, not your ribeye, yet the shock still slaps the broader market. Statehouse Republicans and Democratic ag chairs pile on with safety and stability concerns. Timing, they note, could not be worse with the cattle cycle near its high.
The Bullet Point Brief
• The plan: boost Argentine beef imports to cool prices. The blowback: bipartisan and loud in Colorado.
• Hickenlooper says meddling nudged prices down as producers go to market. That is real money off the table.
• Lean trim from Argentina feeds burgers and processed food, not steak cases, yet it still drags the market.
• Ranch groups flag disease risks and weak USDA assurances on safety. Lawmakers warn against chaos.
• Industry leaders agree some imports are needed, but timing and scale here risk undercutting producers.
My Bottom Line
I support the president in many things, but this one makes no sense. Weld County is the number two cattle and calf producing county in the nation, which means this hits us where we live. I agree there is a need to import beef. Do we have to do it in a way that destabilizes markets just as small and mid-size producers finally catch a good year?
Maybe the President is playing 4D economic chess while I am over here with checkers, but first glance says I am standing with the Colorado House and Senate Republicans. The plan might shave pennies off a fast-food burger while yanking dollars from ranchers’ pockets. If there is a strategic explanation that truly protects Colorado producers while securing supply, someone is going to have to explain it to me like I am buying calves at the sale barn on a tight margin.
