08/27/2026
Thursday Thoughts by President Allen Carter Jr; 🐄🌾
"Don't Sacrifice America's Livestock Producers for Short-Term Beef Relief.
There is an important conversation taking place right now about the price of beef and how we can make food more affordable for American families. That conversation is necessary. But as we look for solutions, we cannot lose sight of the American farmers and ranchers who raise the livestock that feeds our nation.
For New Jersey's livestock producers, this issue hits particularly close to home.
The U.S. cattle industry is already operating with historically tight supplies. At the same time, we are seeing increased reliance on imported beef and the reopening of the border to Mexican cattle. The stated goal is understandable — increase supply and ultimately put downward pressure on beef prices.
But there is a very real danger in looking only at the short-term solution.
If we make it harder for American cattle producers to remain profitable today, we risk having fewer cattle and less domestic beef production tomorrow.
That matters in New Jersey.
Our livestock farmers are not operating in isolation. They are part of a regional food system that depends on accessible markets, transportation and, perhaps most importantly, adequate processing capacity.
We saw another warning sign this month in neighboring Pennsylvania.
JBS has ended cattle harvesting and beef processing at its Souderton, Pennsylvania, facility. The plant previously had the capacity to process nearly 2,000 cattle a day. While JBS has decided to keep the facility open and convert it to a value-added and case-ready operation — a decision that preserves approximately 400 jobs — it no longer provides the cattle slaughter capacity that producers throughout the region have relied upon.
For a New Jersey livestock producer, that is not a minor change.
When a regional processing facility disappears, producers can be forced to transport animals farther, adding cost, time and logistical challenges. It can also mean fewer options when it comes time to market livestock.
And that brings us to the bigger concern with increasing imports.
When more foreign beef enters the U.S. market, it can put additional pressure on the price received by American cattle producers. A rancher or livestock farmer looking at those prices has to make a decision: Do I keep breeding stock and invest in rebuilding my herd, or do I reduce my operation because the economics no longer justify the risk?
Those decisions have consequences.
The cattle industry cannot simply turn production on and off like a light switch. If producers reduce their herds today, it takes years to rebuild those numbers.
So while imported beef may provide additional supply in the short term, we need to be very careful that we don't create a situation where our dependence on imported protein grows because we have made it increasingly difficult for American producers to compete.
This isn't about being against imports.
It's about making sure American agriculture remains strong enough to feed America.
We should absolutely look for ways to make beef more affordable for consumers. But we should pursue those solutions while also strengthening domestic cattle production, maintaining adequate processing capacity and ensuring that the men and women raising livestock have a viable market.
New Jersey has nearly 1,000 farms raising beef cattle, dairy cattle, hogs, sheep, goats and other livestock. Those farms may be smaller than many operations in the Midwest or West, but they are an important part of our state's agricultural economy and our regional food supply.
When a processing plant closes, when transportation costs increase, when markets become less competitive, or when imported product puts downward pressure on domestic cattle prices, the effects eventually reach those farms.
And once a livestock operation disappears, it is not easily replaced.
The same is true of processing infrastructure.
We need to think beyond the price of beef at the grocery store today and ask what our food system will look like five or ten years from now.
If we want American-produced beef on America's dinner tables, we have to make sure there are American farmers and ranchers left to produce it — and American processing facilities available to handle it.
As we work to lower food costs, let's not sacrifice the long-term strength and resiliency of American agriculture for a short-term solution.
Our goal should be simple: affordable food for American families and a strong, sustainable marketplace for the American farmers and ranchers who produce it.
We should not have to choose between the two."
