Perry, GA |

“Where’s the beef?”—a phrase that began as a clever marketing slogan in the 1980s—has taken on a much more serious tone in 2025. Cattle numbers across the United States have hit historic lows, causing beef prices to rise nearly fifteen percent in grocery stores. To offset the shortage, the Trump administration recently proposed increasing beef imports from Argentina, a move that has stirred both economic and biosecurity conversations within the cattle industry.

“In America, our cattle has so much marbling and stuff like that, that we have to have—to make hamburger meat you got to have, you know, it’s the fat and the lean,” said Travis Young, President of the Georgia Cattlemen’s Association. “So, you know, it will be coming from Argentina—it would be lean beef coming in mixed in for your hamburgers and stuff like that. Because, you know, as everybody knows, hamburger is the major, what everybody wants. Is it going to kill us? No. Is it going to hurt us? No. Would I personally want it? No. But we got to have something to go into that product.”

Although the added supply might not drastically alter the market, Young points out that biosecurity is a top concern when it comes to sourcing meat from abroad.

“The biggest concern I have with it is the biosecurity hazard—you know, the foot and mouth disease that Argentina has a lot of,” he said. “One big thing that folks don’t understand is the screw worm disease… We sure don’t need that in there. So, you know, we’re cutting—Mexico is cut off right now. That is not a source. Would I rather see us get it from another country? Yes, I would. But, you know, it’s a little bit of give and take is what it’s got to be right now.”

Another misconception that Young addressed is who exactly benefits from the higher beef prices. Despite what consumers may believe, it’s not the cattlemen seeing windfall profits.

“Man, I hear so many people say, ‘Man, y’all are getting rich in the cattle business right now.’ No, we’re not,” said Young. “What everybody don’t understand is we are just finally being able to pay our bills… We are just basically being able to catch up and pay off loans that we had to incur to be able to stay in this business.”

That economic reality is directly tied to the current inventory crisis. With fewer cattle being raised in recent years, rebuilding herds will take time—years, in fact.

“You take a heifer that’s born on your farm and time it’s up and you wean and you breed it, you know, you’re three years before a calf is on the ground. And then you hold onto that calf for another year,” Young explained. “So, if you say one heifer, it’s four years before you get any monetary value out of it by selling its calves. So, you know, that’s what’s put us in this position—we couldn’t hold onto them.”

As consumers face sticker shock at the meat counter, the long road to herd recovery reminds us that beef production is more than just a business—it’s a long-term commitment tied to generations of planning, care, and risk.

By: Damon Jones