Trump Administration Unveils Major Plan to Rebuild U.S. Cattle Herd, Lower Beef Prices
Secretaries Rollins, Burgum, Kennedy, and Loeffler announce coordinated push to bolster ranchers, expand processing capacity, and promote beef as a cornerstone of national health and security.
USDA Secretary BrookeRollins on Tuesday announced a sweeping initiative to stabilize and grow the American beef industry, citing national security, food affordability, and rural economic resilience as central priorities. The announcement, made alongside Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler, outlines a multi-agency effort to reverse herd declines and protect family ranchers after years of consolidation and regulatory pressure. Link to review the plan.
Rollins emphasized the administration’s goal of “protecting our beef industry and incentivizing new ranchers,” pledging immediate deregulatory reforms, expanded processing capacity, and an accelerated effort to get locally raised beef into schools. She also vowed to work across agencies to “fix longstanding common-sense barriers for ranchers like outdated grazing restrictions.”
Interior Secretary Burgum said his department will restore grazing access on public lands, describing ranching as essential to both livelihoods and food security. “Thanks to President Trump, this administration is taking decisive action to support America’s farmers and ranchers so that they can support American families with high-quality beef,” Burgum said.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kennedy framed the initiative as part of a broader nutrition strategy, asserting that theadministration will end “the decades-old stigma against natural saturated fat in beef and dairy products.” He added, “We cannot Make America Healthy Again without America’s farmers and ranchers.”
Small Business Administrator Loeffler announced new government-guaranteed loans and regulatory relief for ranchers, describing them as “the original small businesses.” She said the SBA’s involvement would ensure “more security for the hardworking ranches our nation depends on.”
Since 2017, the U.S. has lost more than 17% of family farms — over 100,000 operations — and the national cattle herd has fallen to a 75-year low, even as consumer demand for beef has risen 9% over the past decade. Rollins said the administration’s plan is designed to make beef markets “less volatile for ranchers and more affordable for consumers” over the long term.
