In today’s Beef Buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays continues his conversation with Kent Bacus of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, who discusses USDA’s rollout of the Voluntary Product of the USA label and the push to better educate both producers and consumers about the program.
Promotion and Education
Bacus says USDA is making progress in getting the word out, but more direct engagement is still needed. “They’re definitely pushing this out on social media, trying to connect, really get this out to the countryside,” he said, adding, “What we would also like to see are more workshops, more engagement directly with those stakeholders, with those small and medium processors.”
He emphasized that early outreach efforts have been helpful, noting, “USDA has done a good job of starting that initial outreach,” and pointed to valuable conversations with regulators: “It was good to have that kind of engagement addressing a room full of producers that had a lot of questions.”
Bacus stressed that continued dialogue is critical. “There’s always going to be questions… so having that kind of engagement is great,” he said, adding that NCBA plays a key role because “we’re the largest organization that represents the interests of U.S. cattle producers and we have that grassroots network.”
“This is an issue that NCBA cares very passionately about. We want to give our members the tools that they need,” he added. “This is going to be a big opportunity.”
Here’s the promotional video shown by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins on Ag Day 2026.
Why Voluntary Matters
Bacus contrasted the new voluntary label with past mandatory Country of Origin Labeling efforts (MCOOL), which he says created more harm than good.
“The painful lessons of mandatory Country of Origin Labeling is that it wasn’t optional,” he said. “It created a one-size-fits-all approach it disenfranchised a lot of cattle producers.”
He added that “the cost of compliance was so high that they were unfortunately passed down to the cattle producer,” without improving returns.
“That’s not what we need at this point,” Bacus said. “You can’t do that by creating a system where only the big can be successful.”
Instead, he believes the voluntary approach offers a better path forward: “This is a good alternative a good opportunity, and I’m glad that USDA is taking this approach.”
Label Integrity and Imported Beef
When it comes to how the label applies to products like ground beef, Bacus made it clear that verification is key.
“If you’re going to call it a Product of USA, then you have to be able to verify… that it is from an animal that’s born, raised, harvested and processed” in the U.S., he said.
That means blended products with imported components won’t qualify. “That’s not going to be labeled that way,” he explained, noting those products “will have other ways that they can market.”
He also pointed out that much imported beef—especially lean trimmings—ends up in foodservice. “You’re not seeing an origin source label on… the hamburger you’re buying at fast food,” he said, while grocery store products are where consumers will more often see labeling distinctions.
Safety, Standards, and Market Opportunity
For Bacus, the bigger issue isn’t just labeling—it’s ensuring imported beef meets U.S. standards.
“The big concern for us is… is that product safe? Does that product deserve to be here?” he said, raising concerns about “questionable history” and “integrity issues” in some exporting countries.
NCBA’s focus, he explained, is protecting the reputation of U.S. beef. “Making sure that any product that is sold here… is not going to do anything to compromise the health and the safety and the reputation that our cattle producers have built.”
At the same time, he sees a strong opportunity ahead. “We’ve got some of the best beef we’ve ever produced… we don’t want to do anything to compromise that,” Bacus said.
Ultimately, he believes the voluntary label can help producers stand out. “This Product of USA label is going to be a really good opportunity… to diversify and really set their products apart here at home.”
More information from the USDA can be found here.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR above for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
