GLENNVILLE, Calif. (KERO) \u2014 With President Trump asking cattle ranchers to cut prices, some in the industry say it\u2019s just not that simple.<\/p>\n
For Nathan Carver, cattle ranching is more than a job \u2014 it\u2019s a way of life, passed down through his family since the late 1800s.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is Maddux-Carver Ranch, and yes, I own it, and I\u2019m the fifth generation to run cows here. So we\u2019re a cattle ranch here, we raise cows for beef,\u201d Carver said.<\/p>\n
Carver says ranching takes passion \u2014 because for many, it\u2019s tough just to break even.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the supply gets down, then we start making some money and that\u2019s good for us, because then we can survive in the long term.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cattle herds across the U.S. are at their lowest levels since the 1970s. Carver points to years of drought and many ranchers aging out of the business. That\u2019s led to higher beef prices.<\/p>\n
In late October, President Trump urged cattle ranchers to lower prices \u2014 but Carver says it\u2019s simply supply and demand.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I don\u2019t set the cattle prices, I\u2019m a price taker, so I take the price that I get when I sell my cattle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carver says ranchers are working to rebuild their herds, but it could take up to five years to recover. In the meantime, President Trump has floated the idea of importing beef from Argentina to help lower prices. But ranchers like Carver worry that could hurt producers here at home.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s terrible for us, we\u2019re finally making some money for us to survive out here, and Trump can come in and bring in beef from Argentina, and our price will go down, and we won\u2019t hardly be able to get by.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carver says he\u2019d like to see less government pushback \u2014 and more trust in ranchers.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd it doesn\u2019t matter whether it\u2019s a Democratic government or a Republican government, if the government messes with us, we have problems.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite backlash from many ranchers, the Trump administration is planning to quadruple the amount of beef imported from Argentina at a lower tariff rate.<\/p>\n
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