Florida’s Midterm Drama Deepens With Concerns Over Trump Beef Import Plan

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Opposition to President Donald Trump’s efforts on lower beef prices ahead of the midterm elections isn’t limited to the nation’s heartland. Even in Florida’s conservative-leaning cattle country, ranchers and others are worried that the president’s beef tactic is not helping the domestic cattle industry.

Trump’s recent move to boost foreign beef imports has dealt a financial blow to cattle ranchers already squeezed by rising fuel and fertilizer costs. Florida lawmakers and the state’s cattle industry are now asking the Trump administration to prioritize ranchers. And despite continued GOP support from many in Florida’s agricultural sphere, some are concerned there may be electoral harm in a year where the state will be key to determining the House majority.

“Without a doubt, it has not been helpful in keeping our ranchers and farmers engaged,” said GOP Rep. Kat Cammack, Florida’s only member of the House Agriculture Committee. “Do I think that they will vote Democrat? No. But I think we do risk them staying home, and that is a problem.”

Trump signed a proclamation last month to remove tariffs from 300,000 metric tons of imported lean beef trimmings for 90 days. The White House has sought to tackle the cost of ground beef as affordability remains a top concern for many voters and a potential weak point for GOP candidates ahead of the November election.

Yet the announcement quickly sent shock waves through the nation’s cattle industry, including in Florida, which ranks ninth in the nation for number of cattle raised for their meat. The Florida Farm Bureau Federation and the Florida Cattlemen’s Association pushed back against the decision, while Florida lawmakers from both parties signed letters to Trump outlining their concerns.

“You’ve got to have some imports. There’s just no way around it,” said Scott Ramsey, a cattle rancher and Trump supporter from central Florida. “But for this deal … that’s kind of like a slap in the face to us as a producer.”

In a statement, a White House spokesperson said that Trump “has done more for American agriculture than anyone,” and added the president has negotiated trade deals, expanded foreign market access and lowered input costs, along with other policies to help producers.

“At the same time, he is delivering on his promise to consumers by addressing supply shortages in the beef market while allowing our American beef herd to grow,” the spokesperson said. “The President will continue taking actions to support our great farmers while driving economic prosperity for all Americans.”

Florida Republican Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson — a Pasco County industrial egg farmer — said he had concerns about the plan to boost imports, and said it could deal an economic blow to cattle ranchers as well as result in an influx of lower-quality beef in grocery stores. Yet Simpson also emphasized issues facing the cattle industry go beyond Trump’s proclamation, citing rising costs and Democratic-led policies aimed at fighting greenhouse gas emissions.

“It's … one more hurdle that we have to get over,” said Simpson, who Trump endorsed. “And I just think that's wrong for the American farmer, and yet especially the small and young farmers that are just trying to get started.”

At the Okeechobee Livestock Market, located in Florida’s top cattle-producing county, prices have already fallen $500 a head — about a 30 percent loss — for some types of cattle since the import announcement was made, according to Audra Clemons, who helps operate the family-owned market. Florida is known for its cow-calf operations, which involve ranchers maintaining a herd of cows and selling the calves.

The beginning of September is the high season for cow-calf operators to bring their calves to market, which means many producers are facing significant financial losses or having to make difficult decisions about whether to sell.

“It hit us at the worst time possible,” said Clemons, who is also president of the Florida Association of Livestock Markets.

Ranchers say they understand the administration’s intentions to make beef more affordable, but some question whether Trump is prioritizing a short-term push to lower prices over the long-term health of the industry. Many were caught off guard by the White House’s announcement, and are concerned expanding imports could become a pattern that they won’t be able to predict.

It’s not the first time Trump has turned to imports to lower beef prices; the administration sought to reduce tariffs on imports earlier this year before shelving the plans. He also agreed to more than quadruple beef imports from Argentina as part of a larger trade deal in February.

And while the recent tariff removal will only last through November at the latest, the industry is worried the consequences for ranchers will linger.

“Ranchers make breeding, land-management and financial decisions months or years in advance,” Florida Cattlemen’s Association Executive Vice President Dusty Holley wrote in an email. “It becomes more difficult to plan when they do not know what the next government action or announcement might be or how it could affect their market.”

Even without the recent flood of imports, cattle ranchers have faced a host of other challenges in recent years. Florida’s worst drought in two decades has parched fields and forced ranchers to spend more on feed. Ranchers are facing threats from pests like the pasture mealybug and New World screwworm. Fertilizer costs have surged due to the Iran war, while diesel prices hit an all-time high this month.

Jeb Smith, the president of the Florida Farm Bureau Federation, said producers are willing “to go through some pain” in regards to rising costs if it results in a long-term benefit.

“But we just have to see it, and that needs to be communicated,” he added. “A lot of our producers are frustrated by it because they're confused and have not seen the end goal, and what's the true objective in the long run and how that's going to be achieved.”

Florida’s agriculture and cattle industries have been largely supportive of the Republican Party, and Trump won in all five of the state’s top cattle-producing counties in 2024. The industry has welcomed his “America First” platform — which is why many are confused by the president’s recent openness to foreign beef.

In response to Trump’s move, Florida Democrats have made attempts to appeal to the industry in recent weeks. Four Florida House Democrats — including those whose seats are more vulnerable under newly redrawn congressional maps — signed a letter to Trump last week in opposition. And Monday, the party’s Miami-Dade County chapter hosted a barbecue promoting “America’s Farmers First.”

Yet while many ranchers are rankled by rising costs and a flood of imports, individuals and industry representatives say their support hasn’t wavered. The Trump administration has still been rancher-friendly overall, Florida cattlemen said, and many producers feel like the president and Republican Party represent their interests.

“Even though there's some stir-ups right now in the industry, the current administration has done more for the rancher this go around than anybody has in the last few years,” said Curtis Toman, a Republican cattle rancher.

But that doesn’t mean the White House isn’t causing a midterm headache for Florida Republicans this November.

Cammack said she’d spoken with numerous ranchers from Florida who have taken “very real hits to their pocketbooks,” and said that producers have reached a breaking point where they need to see real relief. Cammack said she’s shared her concerns with the USDA, but declined to provide details on the conversation.

She pointed to regulatory and permitting reform as a lasting solution for producers’ problems, and said Trump’s beef import plan would result in a greater push to pass the farm bill package, which has stalled in the Senate.

“They've been as flexible as they possibly can, and that timeline is running very short, so I don't think that another 90 days is the key to unlock anything,” Cammack said. “I think there needs to be a sign of good faith now.”

After the backlash from the beef import decision, the Trump administration sought to soothe the industry’s anger by releasing multiple pro-rancher policy changes. He said last month that his administration would seek changes to allow farmers and ranchers to slaughter and process their own products — a move that did little to quell import concerns from the Florida industry.

And on Friday, the president signed executive orders that aimed to reduce the industry’s reliance on major meatpackers and implement country-of-origin labeling requirements for imported beef, though it's unclear whether the announcements will have any short-term impacts.

Doug Croley, a cattle rancher and Gadsden County Republican Party chair, said Florida ranchers aren’t likely to quickly forget the White House’s decision to expand beef imports. And while he doesn’t think that Florida cattle ranchers will be disengaged from voting, he said that Republican candidates will need to “better explain themselves and their positions” in relation to agriculture.

“Help address how we can increase the cattle herds, how we can save farmlands, how we can reduce the living costs for everyday working people,” he said. “Not so much telling them, ‘Well, we know that you're having to pay money for costs of living.’ That's just identifying the problem. That's not helping resolve it.”