A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
President Trump is in another fight with farmers. First it was over soybeans, which China stopped buying in retaliation for American tariffs. Now it's beef. Trump has suggested buying meat from Argentina to lower prices for U.S. consumers. Ranchers say the move would hurt them. NPR's Juliana Kim reports on the beef over beef.
JULIANA KIM, BYLINE: Destinee Weeks from Oklahoma says ranching has never been easy.
DESTINEE WEEKS: The conditions are tough. You face, you know, mother nature. You have no control over what she's going to give you.
KIM: It's been especially tough the past few years because of an intense drought throughout the Midwest. The cost of working the farm - like buying fertilizer, seeds, machinery - has also gone up.
WEEKS: You couldn't afford to feed them hay.
KIM: As a result, many ranchers had to sell off their cattle, leading to a decline in U.S. beef production. That led to a spike in the price of beef at the grocery store. Agricultural economist David Anderson says the higher price tag is what's helping ranchers finally begin to recover.
DAVID ANDERSON: It is allowing them, in many cases, to recoup some losses from the past.
KIM: Trump says he cares about farmers, but that he's also worried about Americans' budgets. Meanwhile, Anderson is skeptical that importing beef from Argentina will make much of a difference.
ANDERSON: They just don't have the kind of supplies that they could export to us that would make much of a noticeable impact.
KIM: Anderson says the U.S. is already importing a record amount of beef from other countries, including Argentina. And prices have still been high. Christian Lovell is a farmer from Illinois. He's also part of the nonpartisan advocacy group Farm Action. He worries that the more the U.S. relies on foreign competitors, there's no going back.
CHRISTIAN LOVELL: It doesn't end well for domestic production.
KIM: Lovell says the priority should be helping American ranchers rebuild their herds. Destinee Weeks from Oklahoma agrees.
WEEKS: Think that we should always choose to support our domestic producers.
KIM: She says doing so aligns with Trump's agenda of America first. She just asks that it includes steak and hamburgers.
Juliana Kim, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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