Davids Calls for Protection of Kansas Ranchers, Pushes Back on Argentina Beef Imports
Today, Representative Sharice Davids visited a Kansas-based beef company that handles every step of the process — from raising the cattle to butchering, transporting, and selling. Last month, she demanded President Trump and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins rethink their decision to spend $20 billion to bail out Argentina and increase beef imports from the country.
"Kansas ranchers work tirelessly to provide quality beef for our communities and across the country," said Davids. "Bailing out Argentina and increasing their beef imports threatens local jobs, drives up costs for American families, and undermines our farmers and ranchers like Booth Creek Wagyu. We need policies that support Kansans first, not foreign governments."
“Supporting Kansas ag supply chains is vital because our producers face some of the highest levels of risk and complexity of any industry,” said Jarett Wright, Vice President of Supply Chains, Sales, and Marketing, Booth Creek Wagyu. “Weather, disease, and market volatility all impact the flow of products that feed our communities, yet Kansas farmers and ranchers continue to adapt and deliver. Strengthening local supply chains ensures that the hard work, care, and quality that go into raising Kansas beef, often over years, stay right here in our state and benefit the communities that make it possible.”
Booth Creek Wagyu is a fully integrated beef company based in Kansas. The company raises premium Wagyu cattle, oversees processing and butchering, manages transportation, and delivers high-quality beef directly to restaurants and consumers, ensuring a locally sourced, sustainable product from farm to table.
Most of Kansas’ congressional delegation, including Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) and the state’s other three House members, has also expressed concern about how the President’s trade policies with Argentina could harm Kansas farmers and ranchers.
The administration’s plan includes a $20 billion bailout of Argentina’s government and expanded imports of Argentinian beef, despite warnings from industry experts that such policies would undercut U.S. producers. According to recent reports, U.S. farm bankruptcies have risen 60 percent this year, and American soybean exports to China have dropped to zero as Argentina fills the gap left by ongoing tariff disputes.
Davids has made strengthening agriculture supply chains and lowering the cost of groceries a priority, including by:
- Introducing the Resilient Food Supply Chain and Affordability Act, which enhances resilience within the food supply chain for small farms and food businesses.
- Supporting the bipartisan Healthy Poultry Assistance and Indemnification (HPAI) Act, which ensures fair compensation for all farms affected by avian flu.
- Urging the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to begin enforcing the Robinson-Patman Act to prevent corporate price discrimination that is driving up grocery costs for consumers.
- Voting to pass the Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act to shore up the food and agriculture supply chain, ensure fair competition in the meat and poultry sectors, and lower food and gasoline costs.
- Supporting the Price Gouging Prevention Act, legislation ensuring large corporations can’t take advantage of consumers at the grocery store.
Reckless tariffs have forced many Kansas producers to pay higher costs for equipment and materials while reducing access to international markets for crops and livestock. Similarly, cuts to USAID programs disrupt food-aid delivery abroad, which in turn affects demand for U.S. agricultural products. Davids has been a consistent advocate for fair-trade policies that hold foreign actors accountable while protecting U.S. competitiveness, and has joined Senator Moran in sounding the alarm.