Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is pushing back against President Donald Trump鈥檚 call to import beef from Argentina, saying it would hurt Texas ranchers already facing historically low cattle numbers 鈥� and he鈥檚 offering his own plan instead.
The Trump administration recently announced it would in an effort to lower at the grocery store 鈥� a move that鈥檚 drawn sharp criticism from , including . A longtime Trump ally, Miller said he sent a to the White House on Thursday which outlines ways to strengthen domestic beef production without relying on foreign imports.
鈥淚 applaud President Trump for wanting to lower beef prices, I agree with him on that,鈥� Miller told The Texas Newsroom. 鈥淚've got some suggestions on how to do it in a better, more efficient way that wouldn't hurt ranchers, but would still benefit consumers.鈥�
Miller鈥檚 proposal includes importing breeding cattle 鈥� not packaged beef 鈥� to help rebuild the nation鈥檚 depleted herds. The U.S. cattle population has fallen to its lowest level in more than seven decades, according to . This comes amid persistent drought conditions and water shortages in South Texas. The Texas Department of Agriculture, along with federal partners, to help struggling farmers throughout the region.
Miller also emphasized that importing more Argentine beef would only lower the price of hamburger meat, not high-quality cuts like ribeyes, strips and sirloin. Additionally, he says bolstering the U.S. cattle population would help reverse the country鈥檚 .
The Texas Agriculture Commissioner鈥檚 plan also calls for offering a tax credit to encourage producers to retain more cows and heifers and to reopen imports of live cattle from Mexico, which have been largely halted over along the border. About 15% of the country鈥檚 cattle comes from Mexico.
If done safely, Miller said reopening that supply chain could lower U.S. beef prices 鈥渙vernight.鈥�
鈥淣ow it's a little tricky, we got to be careful, but we could open that up judiciously and not wreck the entire beef market,鈥� Miller said.
Miller is also calling on the federal government to open more land for grazing. On Wednesday, the it would allow ranchers to use portions of federal land for that purpose, one of the steps Miller had urged. He also wants the federal government to open up land, privately owned property set aside for environmental conservation, to be used for grazing.
鈥淭hese five actions will rebuild America鈥檚 cattle herd, stabilize beef supplies, lower consumer prices, and support our nation鈥檚 cattle producers,鈥� Miller said on Thursday.
