Farm country has beef with Trump as midterms approach
Beef producers in the U.S. are facing economic hardship due to Trump administration policies, including increased beef imports and trade tensions with China. These factors, combined with drought-related supply issues, have created a volatile market for cattle farmers.
Why it matters
Agricultural policy decisions have direct consequences for domestic food producers and can lead to unintended political and economic fallout in rural communities.
Driving around his farm in a four-wheeler, Scott Birker warned that his cattle were in a bad mood.
"They're a little grumpy with me right now," he said.
When asked why, he said matter-of-factly: "We just got done weaning."
Birker should know his herd well, given that he's been raising beef cattle outside the Eastern Iowa town of Garrison since 2001. His operation has about 150 "mama cows" and sells feeder calves, as well as some cattle for meat. And Birker is also the northeast regional vice president for the Iowa Cattlemen's Association.
All of which is to say that since August, when Trump announced that his administration would raise the quota on beef imported under lower tariffs – temporarily suspending tariffs on up to 300,000 metric tons of imported beef – Birker knows it when he says: that hurt people.
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