At the Hemphill County Beef Conference in Canadian, Texas, Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays had the chance to talk with National Cattlemen’s Beef Association CEO Colin Woodall, who was speaking at the conference. Last week, the two men discussed the critical leadership of Secretary Rollins in the battle against the New World Screwworm. In today’s BeefBuzz, they are discussing the impacts of tariffs on the beef industry.
Woodall explained that the trade war caused a halt to trade with China, previously a top market for U.S. beef, among other things. “We believe in trade, but we also believe in fair trade,” Woodall said. “That’s what the president is trying to do with these tariffs.”
He described issues with other countries that are not conducting trade fairly. Some examples he listed were the United Kingdom, the European Union, Thailand, and Vietnam. He insisted that each of those countries enjoys access to the U.S. but doesn’t reciprocate by allowing access to their markets.
“We are very supportive of the way the president is using tariffs as a tool to try to fix all of this,” Woodall stated. “We believe that we need to give the president some time to continue his efforts.”
He underscored his trust in President Trump’s and Ag Secretary Rollins’s understanding of how the loss of trade with China, a billion dollar market due to the efforts of the first Trump administration, is affecting beef producers. He reminded listeners that discussions regarding China are much larger than beef, and compelled them to remain patient as the process works, but to continue to remind leaders of the impacts to the beef industry.
Australia is another big conversation regarding beef. “We have had a free trade agreement with Australia for over twenty years, but ever since BSE, we have been locked out of Australia, yet they have sold about thirty billion dollars’ worth of beef into our country,” Woodall emphasized. “We need to make sure they are taking our product, and right now, they are not. I believe that this effort is one that will help us try to rectify that situation.”
The conversation turned to the elusive farm bill, and Woodall said, “It’s very important because we are going to see a lot of those tax provisions start to expire at the end of 2025, including the death tax provisions that we are benefiting from. This is a priority of both the House and the Senate; it is a priority of the President, and I have full faith that we will get it done before any of those programs expire on us.”
He admitted that making the bills permanent will be a hard lift, so he expects a ten-year extension to the provision. “It buys us some additional time,” he said. “We just need some certainty. That’s what we want before things start to expire at the end of this year.”
Woodall acknowledged that the farm bill may have to be grouped in a reconciliation bill and that both chairmen are examining the possibility. “Everyone knows that we need a farm bill, but right now, it is hard to tell when that is going to happen,” Woodall said.
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 at the top of the story for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
