In today’s Beef Buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays features comments from Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association President-elect Jess Kane, with the interview conducted by KC Sheperd. Kane was part of a beef roundtable called by Governor Kevin Stitt earlier this week, where cattle producers voiced frustration over the uncertainty created by President Trump’s recent beef tariff announcement. Kane says producers need a fair shake and a market where they can make sound, long-term business decisions.
Frustration Over Market Uncertainty
“We’re just asking for a fair shake,” Kane says. “I think most cattlemen just want to be left alone to raise our product, market it for a fair price.”
Kane says the biggest concern is the uncertainty surrounding the market and how quickly policy decisions can change the outlook for cattle producers. “When you don’t know what might be thrown at you in this market, people get really upset,” he says. “It’s hard to make good business decisions when you don’t know what’s coming your way. It’s the unknown that’s so unsettling.”
He says there is no way for producers to plan for sudden changes they cannot anticipate. “There’s absolutely no way to plan for that kind of market manipulation, and that’s what it is,” Kane says. “It’s intended to manipulate the market for the benefit of the consumer, but without regard to the effect that that will have on the producer who is making long-term business decisions in this marketplace.”
Oklahoma Cattle Industry Looking for a Unified Voice
Kane says Governor Stitt and Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur indicated a task force would be formed to better articulate the state’s concerns. “Oklahoma is one of the largest beef producing states in the country,” Kane says. “If we can have a unified voice on how our marketplace should be presented, I think that we can make a credible argument on a national level that this type of policy needs to be reconsidered.”
Cattle industry groups including the American Farm Bureau Federation, Livestock Marketing Association, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and United States Cattlemen’s Association have also called for President Trump to reverse course on the 90-day import plan and work with the industry on solutions.
Rebuilding the U.S. Cow Herd
Kane says producers also need to focus on rebuilding the nation’s cow herd. “We need to be rebuilding our cow herd, and there’s all kinds of reasons why our cow herd is as small as it is,” he says. “None of those are easily explained in a sound bite. Trying to manage it from a sound bite is also an irrational decision.”
Instead, Kane says cattle producers should remain focused on producing a high-quality product while encouraging policymakers to create a stable business environment. “We need to keep our heads down, figure out how we can continue making the most nutritious, most delicious protein product that everybody in the world wants,” Kane says, “and we need to be advocating to our leadership to make sure that we can do that in a sound business environment.”
Producers Caught on the Wrong Side of the Market
Kane says some producers, including himself, were caught off guard by the tariff announcement. “Yeah, it’s like having the rug pulled out from underneath you,” Kane says. “Here, I’d run break even and thought that these cattle make sense, and next minute they don’t make sense anymore.”
He says many other producers are facing the same situation. “A lot of people have had the same thing happen to them,” he says.
Beef Demand Remains Strong
Kane also pushes back on the idea that consumers are no longer willing to pay current beef prices. “The other half of this equation that we’re in is the demand side, and we as an industry have been investing in demand development for 40 years through the beef checkoff,” he says.
“People love our product. Our product is good for you. That’s why it’s popular.”
Kane says consumers have continued purchasing beef despite tighter supplies and higher prices, calling that a success for the cattle industry. “Even though we’ve seen a supply crunch that has increased prices, the consumers have continued to buy beef, and that’s a success story,” he says.
Task Force Needs Concrete Solutions
As the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association prepares to participate in the task force, Kane says the group needs to move beyond frustration and develop specific solutions. “The task force needs to get together and come together with some real, concrete solutions to the problem that we can take up the chain,” Kane says. “We need to be prepared to advocate for and explain those solutions and engage in the process.”
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.
