President Trump said on August 24, 2026, that he has reached a deal to import beef without tariffs, arguing the move would bring beef prices down by 25%. The announcement lands as shoppers are already paying more at the meat counter, and it puts a fresh target on a price many families see every week.
In Minneapolis, Courtney Estenson said the rising cost has her looking for other options while she shops. The CBS News price tracker showed the average price of ground beef at $5.55 a pound in January and $6.89 a pound now, a jump of more than 10% that explains why even a modest change gets attention. At one Minneapolis store on Monday, WCCO found 80% lean and 20% fat ground beef priced at $7.39 a pound and 85% lean and 15% fat organic ground beef at $7.69 a pound.
The math behind Trump's 25% claim is straightforward: a quarter off $6.89 would put the average pound of ground beef near $5.17. That would be below today's tracker price, but still above January's $5.55 level only by a small margin. It would also not erase the larger run-up shoppers have already absorbed since last year.
Cattle farmers in Minnesota and Wisconsin were quick to push back. The Minnesota State Cattlemen's Association said any relief would be short-lived. Root said consumers might see a little price drop in the short term, but not anything major or long-term, and added that government interference only hurts farmers and ranchers. That criticism echoes earlier backlash captured in Trump Beef plan to import 300,000 tons sparks pushback from cattle ranchers and Trump Importing Beef Plan Draws Backlash From Cattle Producers.
The National Milk Producers Federation said the plan could lower the price dairy farmers receive for their cull cows, raise profits for foreign beef exporters and produce only a short-term, muted effect for consumers. That leaves the biggest unanswered question at the center of the plan: when the tariff-free imports will begin, and how long the deal will stay in place before the market adjusts again.
