From Fox News: President Donald Trump’s beef import plan aims to cut prices, but cattle ranchers say it misses what’s crushing them most — the power of meat packers.
“Meat packers have created a system where they win no matter what — at the cost of everyone else,” said Will Harris, a fourth-generation cattleman and owner of White Oak Pastures in Bluffton, Georgia.
Harris, who plans to hand off the operation to his children, said his farm handles every step of production, from raising cattle to processing and selling beef, giving him a clear view of how prices are set.
At the center of that pricing power sit the “Big Four” — Tyson, JBS, Cargill and National Beef — anchoring the U.S. beef supply chain from pasture to plate.
The report explains that these four companies process about 85% of the grain-fattened cattle that ends up in supermarkets.
Harris explained, “The U.S. beef market is so highly concentrated that a small number of dominant packers control processing, distribution and pricing. This allows them to pay ranchers less for cattle while charging consumers more at the store. When cheap imported beef enters the system, it allows packers to increase their margins.”
Cole Bolton, the owner of K&C Cattle Company in Texas, agreed, “What the real issue is, is the price differential between the big four packers and what they’re paying us for the product… Ranchers have dealt with such thin margins of profitability for the last 20 years.”
Harris added, “We must rebuild the American cattle herd, protect American farmers and ensure transparency, so consumers understand where their beef comes from. Long-term affordability depends on a healthy, resilient domestic cattle industry — not permanent dependence on foreign beef.”
X user Beef Initiative posted the following warning on Sunday: “🚨 IMPORT BEEF IN. REFUGEE LABOR IN. YOUR RANCHER OUT. Cargill, Tyson, and JBS pushed to flood U.S. markets with Argentine beef—then pledged to hire thousands of refugees to process it. Packers win twice. This isn’t food security. It’s global wage consolidation.”
🚨 IMPORT BEEF IN. REFUGEE LABOR IN. YOUR RANCHER OUT.
Cargill, Tyson, and JBS pushed to flood U.S. markets with Argentine beef—then pledged to hire thousands of refugees to process it.
Packers win twice.
This isn’t food security.
It’s global wage consolidation. pic.twitter.com/tuVCJQLBnK— Beef Initiative🇺🇸🇸🇻Beef.com (@beefinitiative) February 8, 2026
Last month, a group called Farm Action also sounded the alarm:
“86,000 independent feed yards like mine are gone.” Farmer Mike Callicrate says the meat industry is rigged against farmers, and it’s time to fight back. “Meat packers continue to operate above the law.”
“Overall, beef demand is at record highs, and the big four meat packers control 80% of the market and sell beef to an equally concentrated grocery store and food service sector.”
“Meanwhile, big meat packers like Tyson are shuttering plants in rural communities. It’s past time to break up the big meat packing, big retail, and big food service companies and aggressively rebuild, protect, and support local regional food infrastructure.”
“86,000 independent feed yards like mine are gone.”
Farmer Mike Callicrate says the meat industry is rigged against farmers, and it’s time to fight back.
“Meat packers continue to operate above the law.”
“Overall, beef demand is at record highs, and the big four meat packers… pic.twitter.com/wmgkRP3Gi5
— Farm Action (@FarmActionUS) January 30, 2026
David P. Huebner of Nebraska, who is running for U.S. Congress, warned:
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Flooding the U.S. market with poor quality imported beef only helps the Big Packers who are, ironically, the biggest reason for the increased prices in the grocery store. Two of these four Big Packing companies in America are foreign owned, as many of us in the 3rd District know.
Bring back Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (MCOOL) to inform consumers and let them choose which country they want beef from, federally investigate price fixing, pursue antitrust laws on the books, pass the PRIME Act to get government out of the way to facilitate local sales, and get foreign beef lobbyists out of the pockets of Congressmen.
🥩 I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Flooding the U.S. market with poor quality imported beef only helps the Big Packers who are, ironically, the biggest reason for the increased prices in the grocery store. Two of these four Big Packing companies in America are foreign…
— David P. Huebner (@Huebner4NebrCD3) February 8, 2026
Another X user, Glass Half Full, wrote, “Three of the big 4 meat packers – Cargill, JBS and Tyson – are http://tent.org members. http://Tent.org works with the world’s largest companies to provide jobs for refugees (illegals).”
Three of the big 4 meat packers – Cargill, JBS and Tyson – are https://t.co/gzlvcFUF3X members. https://t.co/C4m2uVoLiY works with the world’s largest companies to provide jobs for refugees (illegals). pic.twitter.com/QKv6b7SNwF
— Glass Half Full 🇺🇸 (@GFull225) February 8, 2026
READ MORE from Fox News.
Follow us on X (Formerly Twitter.)
The DML News App: www.X.com/DMLNewsApp
The Dennis Michael Lynch Podcast archive is available below, with the most recent on top. Never miss an episode. Subscribe to the show by downloading The DML News App or go to Apple Podcasts.
