US Farmers and Ranchers Beef with Government over Argentinian Dumping
As seen in The Joplin Globe and the Springfield News-Leader.
While Argentina shipped nearly 99 million pounds of beef to the United States last year, it imported almost none in return. The imbalance isn’t just economical, it’s philosophical. Argentina protects its producers. Why don’t we?
Argentina’s beef sector is strategically export driven. In 2024, it exported over 1.7 billion pounds of beef, valued at nearly $3 billion. China took the lion’s share, but the US has imported over 72.5 million pounds from January to July – up 42% from the previous year. Meanwhile, Argentina’s own imports of US beef were negligible.
The US imported a whopping 4.6 billion pounds of beef last year, up nearly 37% from just 2 years earlier. While the US only exported 3 billion pounds of beef in 2024, we had a beef trade deficit of 1.6 billion pounds last year, worldwide. We don’t need a bigger deficit in the beef trade and with the amount of beef imports already, it’s doubtful more imports from Argentina would lower the price of beef in the grocery store. It is already causing lower prices for producers though.
US cattle producers already face a flood of imported beef, opaque pricing, and relentless consolidation. Missouri family ranchers – once the backbone of the Midwest economy– now compete with subsidized foreign supply and corporate packers who dictate terms. The result? Volatile prices, shrinking margins and rural communities fighting for survival.
Parity pricing isn’t nostalgia-it’s a necessity. It’s the principle that farmers should receive a fair price that covers their cost of production and sustains their livelihood. The Argentinian example shows it’s possible to provide food to other countries without sacrificing domestic dignity. The US once had similar protections. We can again.
Trade policy should serve producers, not just packers. Missouri’s congressional delegation must push for reforms that restore transparency by reinstating Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling for meat, enforce antitrust laws and strengthen them, and prioritize rural resilience. That means revisiting the Farm Bill, rethinking trade agreements and demanding accountability from the USDA, Federal Trade Commission, and especially this administration.
We should not be creating an agriculture juggernaut in Argentina at the expense of American farmers.
If Argentina can protect its cattle ranchers, surely America can do the same…that is, if Congress ignores multinational lobbyists for a change.
Darvin Bentlage
Lawrence County Rancher and MRCC Farmer Member