08/26/2026
We have been asked a few times about how we feel about the US importing 300,000 metric tons of ground beef in order to “lower beef prices and help rebuild the US cattle herd”.
Let’s first talk about the animal demand to get to 300,000 metric tons. If we turned the entire animal, yes the entire animal, into burger (no steaks, roasts or brisket) we would need over 1.2 million animals to supply that demand. What country has an extra 1.2 million animals over the next 90 days? When I say extra, I am referring to above and beyond what they have already sold. No country to my knowledge, including the USA has 1.2 million animals extra.
This import will not help increase our US cattle herd. It takes three years to get an offspring that is ready to butcher from a heifer you raise on your farm. 90 days of imports changes nothing.
If the price of ground beef is reduced by 25%, as we are being told, that equates to an average household savings of a little over $5.00 per American family over the 3-month period. That is only if the savings is passed onto the consumer and the savings is not held by the big 4 packers. What do you think will happen?
Now we have to ask about food safety. Recently almost 30,000 lbs of beef was recalled in the US from a foreign country.
Do you know how many pounds of 4M Ranch’s beef has been recalled? Zero. Not one single pound.
Right now, you as a consumer have a choice about buying beef local or buying from a foreign country. Please choose American raised beef. Unfortunately, we do not have a law that requires “country of origin” for beef. So the only way you know if you are buying beef that was raised in this country is to buy from a local rancher.
