JACKSON, Wyo. — Amid recent national conversations about increasing beef imports from Argentina, Gov. Mark Gordon announced that he supports Wyoming cattle ranchers and praised beef producers for a high-quality product.
Last week, Gordon released a statement acknowledging concern among cattle ranchers and associated industry affiliates nationwide due to these heightened discussions. According to his Oct. 23 press release, the short-term effects of this kind of chatter have already had a “destabilizing impact” on cattle markets during the season when most beef producers are working to sell off their herds.
“Our livestock producers take great pride in supplying U.S. beef, and while prices at the store are currently unusually high, we should look at domestic solutions to increase the number of U.S. raised beef,” Gordon said in the statement. “Increasing our reliance on cattle imports is not the best answer for our ranchers, farmers or U.S. consumers.”
Little Jennie Ranch in Bondurant is a working cattle ranch that also markets guided Wyoming experiences like horseback riding and snowmobile tours to guests. Ranch Operator Faith Hamlin told Buckrail that her ranch is fortunate because most of the herd was already sold via video auction in the summer. But many cattle ranchers at this time of year are getting ready to ship cows, sell their crop and prepare herds for winter. Hamlin said this typically saturates the beef market, which lowers prices.
“It’s an interesting time of year for President Trump to be announcing that he’s importing beef, and to bring this uncertainty into the markets,” Hamlin said, “because markets are already being naturally flooded with fall cattle.”
According to a Monday WyoFile article, last week Trump discussed the possibility of expanding Argentinian beef imports to the U.S., saying the South American country could quadruple its current quantity through a low-tariff quota.
According to a 2022 Census of Agriculture by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Teton County accounted for 1% of Wyoming’s agricultural sales, with 56% of that attributed to livestock, poultry and products. A 2021 University of Wyoming Extension publication put Teton County’s farm-gate sales for the beef cattle ranching industry at $3,057,896. The USDA’s National Agriculture Statistics Service stated that Wyoming’s beef cattle inventory was holding steady at 671,000 head in Jan. 2024
Gordon’s statement says that U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins issued a plan last Wednesday intending to “expedite deregulatory reforms, boost processing capacity” and work “across the government to fix longstanding common-sense barriers for ranchers.” Gordon plans to work with Rollins and Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum to implement portions of the plan that will support Wyoming’s cattle industry.
Hamlin said she is grateful for Gordon’s work on this topic. She also applauded the recent strong beef market, describing how it has allowed many in the industry to pay off debt or keep family-owned ranches from selling out. Wyoming is critical for cattle production across the country, she explained, due to the fact that raising, breeding and grazing all happen within the state, and that there is “unmatched territory” for grazing.
“I’m really happy, but not surprised, that Governor Gordon is looking out for our cattle ranchers across Wyoming,” Hamlin said. “Cattle ranching in Wyoming is part of our culture, it’s part of what makes Wyoming a really special place; between the people in cattle ranching and the open landscapes that ranches provide for wildlife and migration corridors. … In the beef industry we’re always trying to be creative and work across industries.”
Cattle ranchers are typically folks who try to make the best out of all situations, Hamlin believes, and they work “too hard not to be proud” of what they do.
“I think people should vote with their fork and spend their money on American beef,” Hamlin said. “It’s raised in a really responsible and efficient way. … I think there’s no issue importing beef, but we need to meet more of an equilibrium before we’re back to where we were, which was importing a really large amount of beef.”
