Trump's beef import move rattles farm states as the midterms near, NPR reports

President Trump's push to lower beef prices has drawn backlash in farm country, NPR reported Thursday. Ground beef costs about $6.80 a pound, NPR said. ¹

In August, Trump signed an order suspending tariffs on up to 300,000 metric tons of imported lean beef trimmings. The goal was cheaper ground beef. Trump said the imported beef would be sold at 25% below market prices. ²

Too small to help shoppers, big enough to hurt ranchers

The 300,000 metric tons equals about 2% of total U.S. beef consumption, NPR reported. The average ground beef price in September was only about 13 cents lower than in August. ¹

Zach Raff, an incoming livestock economist at Iowa State University, said the larger damage was uncertainty. Ranchers who fear more imports next year may send breeding heifers to be processed rather than rebuild a herd. That could keep prices high for longer. ¹

Scott Birker, an Iowa cattleman who plans to vote Republican, said the surprise hurt ranchers fast in a volatile market. Ranchers elsewhere objected when the plan was announced. Mike Deering of the Missouri Cattlemen's Association called it market manipulation. ¹²

We need to focus on affordability, but I think this isn't the way to do that

The politics

Iowa Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson, who is running for the open Senate seat, publicly broke with the administration on the beef move. Her Democratic opponent, state legislator Josh Turek, says she has backed Trump tariffs that hurt farmers. ¹

In the governor's race, Democratic state auditor Rob Sand has sharply criticized Trump's trade policies. Republican Zach Lahn has avoided doing so, NPR reported. Iowa Republican strategist David Oman said both races could be close, so any issue that cuts against a candidate matters. ¹

Both of them will be two- or three-, four-point races in my view

Seth Watkins, a Democrat who raises cattle in southwestern Iowa, said he is more frustrated with Congress than with the president for not exercising checks and balances. ¹

What happens next

Trump travels to Sioux City, Iowa, this week as part of his pre-midterm push. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has already said the order may not be popular. She called it a three-month lift of the tariff rate quotas, the limits on how much beef can enter at lower tariffs. ¹

Texas, Nebraska, Montana and Kansas, all major beef states, also have tight races, NPR noted. A policy meant to ease prices at the checkout counter may have cost Republicans goodwill in these states without giving shoppers real relief. ¹

The Record

1. Feb 1, 2026Trump signed an order giving some Argentinian beef lower tariffs, per NPR's account of February. ¹
2. Aug 21, 2026Trump said the imported beef would be sold at 25 percent below current market prices. ²
3. Aug 27, 2026Cattle groups, including the Missouri Cattlemen's Association, publicly opposed the import plan. ²
4. Oct 22, 2026NPR reports ground beef near $6.80 a pound and farm-state frustration before the midterms. ¹

Sources

1. NPR, “Farm country has beef with Trump as midterms approach” (2026-10-22). npr.org/2026/10/22/nx-s1-6011214/farm-country-has-beef-with-
2. Harvest Public Media / Michigan Public, “American ranchers are irked by Trump's efforts to bring down beef prices: 'This is a mistake'” (2026-08-27). michiganpublic.org/2026-08-27/american-ranchers-trump-beef-p

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