GLENNVILLE, Calif. (KERO) — With President Trump asking cattle ranchers to cut prices, some in the industry say it’s just not that simple.
For Nathan Carver, cattle ranching is more than a job — it’s a way of life, passed down through his family since the late 1800s.
“This is Maddux-Carver Ranch, and yes, I own it, and I’m the fifth generation to run cows here. So we’re a cattle ranch here, we raise cows for beef,” Carver said.
Carver says ranching takes passion — because for many, it’s tough just to break even.
“When the supply gets down, then we start making some money and that’s good for us, because then we can survive in the long term.”
Cattle herds across the U.S. are at their lowest levels since the 1970s. Carver points to years of drought and many ranchers aging out of the business. That’s led to higher beef prices.
In late October, President Trump urged cattle ranchers to lower prices — but Carver says it’s simply supply and demand.
“But I don’t set the cattle prices, I’m a price taker, so I take the price that I get when I sell my cattle.”
Carver says ranchers are working to rebuild their herds, but it could take up to five years to recover. In the meantime, President Trump has floated the idea of importing beef from Argentina to help lower prices. But ranchers like Carver worry that could hurt producers here at home.
“It’s terrible for us, we’re finally making some money for us to survive out here, and Trump can come in and bring in beef from Argentina, and our price will go down, and we won’t hardly be able to get by.”
Carver says he’d like to see less government pushback — and more trust in ranchers.
“And it doesn’t matter whether it’s a Democratic government or a Republican government, if the government messes with us, we have problems.”
Despite backlash from many ranchers, the Trump administration is planning to quadruple the amount of beef imported from Argentina at a lower tariff rate.
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