President Trump’s decision this fall to import 300,000 metric tons of lean beef trimmings continues to cause heartburn in cattle country. Kansas State University agricultural economist Glynn Tonzer said this decision was actually a positive factor for cattle prices. “The majority of the beef we import is highly lean beef that’s blended with domestically produced 50 percent trimmings to give us a ground beef item. The example would be an 80 percent lean at your local grocery store would be an intentional blend of domestic 50 percent trimmings and something that’s more than 80 percent lean to give us that outcome.” The imported highly lean beef adds value to the final product, increasing the value of fed cattle. However, importing lean beef trimmings does hurt cull cow values because that’s the alternative source of lean beef.
