Texas Feedyard Operator Shares Trade Priorities with Congress

A Texan was in Washington, D.C. this week to discuss the importance of agricultural trade and urge Congress and the Trump administration to open new markets for U.S. beef, reduce non-tariff trade barriers and level the global playing field.

Robby Kirkland, vice president and general manager of Kirkland Feedyard near Vega, told the U.S. House Ways and Means subcommittee on trade that exports maximize the value of U.S. beef.

“Consumers at home and abroad trust U.S. beef,” Kirkland, who testified on behalf of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), said. “Eighty-five percent of U.S. beef is consumed by Americans, but there are certain cuts and products like short ribs, tongues, livers and other organ meats with strong consumer demand in Asia and Latin America.”

Roughly 10-15% of U.S. beef is sold to overseas consumers, according to NCBA, attributing more than $415 in value to each head of fed cattle produced in 2024.

“Over the past decade, there has been a steady increase in export sales of U.S. beef as tariff and non-tariff barriers have been removed through trade agreements and regulatory changes with key export markets such as Korea, Japan and China,” Kirkland, who is also chairman of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association, said.

In 2022, U.S. beef exports set a new record with nearly $11.71 billion in sales.

Unfortunately, Kirkland said, exports have declined over the past two years due to drought-induced herd contraction and other factors.

“Over the past few years, the U.S. government has done little to expand our footprint abroad, while our competitors aggressively secured access to the markets,” Kirkland said. “We need to re-engage and level the playing field.”

U.S. beef faces a 50% tariff in Thailand, a 30% tariff in Vietnam and non-tariff barriers to trade in Australia, Europe and China.

“We need Congress and the Trump administration to ensure fair trade in these markets, while securing new agreements with allies like the United Kingdom,” Kirkland said.

Cattle producers in the U.K. and the U.S. have similar values when it comes to raising cattle and producing beef, according to NCBA, and there is an opportunity for beef trade, but not outside of a trade agreement.

“British consumers, we’ve seen they love U.S. beef. It’s highly restrictive due to small quotas and tariffs,” Kirkland said. “What we believe we have to do is push for science-based trade. We believe there’s a great opportunity for extended trade and new deals with the U.K.”

There are also opportunities for U.S. beef in China. However, China has reportedly used non-tariff barriers to reduce beef imports.

“China is a $2 billion market for the beef industry. We appreciate everything that the Trump administration did in the first term to get China open, but at the end of the day, we’ve got Australia, New Zealand and Canada that have zero tariffs for all these countries that we have tariffs against and that have tariffs against us. We don’t need to depend on China to be our main source on beef exports, that’s in my opinion,” Kirkland said.

As for Australia, according to NCBA, the U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement is, by far, one of the most lop-sided and unfair trade deals for U.S. cattle producers.

Australia has unfettered access to the U.S. market while fresh U.S. beef is not sold in Australia due to red tape.

“For the last 20 years, Australia has sold roughly $29 billion worth of beef to American consumers,” Kirkland said. “At the same time, we have not exported and sold $1 worth of fresh beef in the country of Australia. We believe in science-based protocols, and we don’t believe there’s any science-based protocols there. We fully believe the U.S. deserves full access to the Australian market.”

Looking to next month when new tariffs are expected to go in to effect, and potentially retaliatory tariffs by the EU, Canada, Mexico and China, Kirkland said they understand the larger picture.

“We know that sometimes there’s going to be retaliatory tariffs,” Kirkland responded. “We do understand that. I know us as a company, and our family, we understand that in the agriculture business. Do we like it? Not necessarily, but we do understand that for our next generation that’s coming up, our fourth generation of family farmers that are starting to come into our business, it’s going to have to go through a little bit of pain to get to the spot where that next round of trade and everything is prosperous for the next generation.”

In addition to urging the administration and Congress to work to open new markets for U.S. beef, Kirkland also asked lawmakers to ensure countries that are allowed to ship beef into the U.S. are abiding by the necessary protocols.

“Americans love ground beef, but we don’t produce enough lean grind in the U.S. to satisfy domestic demand,” Kirkland said. “Therefore, we do import meat from beef from other countries to combine with our trimmings to help meet domestic demand and ensure affordability. For ground beef, we must ensure any country that is granted access to the U.S. does not put U.S. consumers or the U.S. cattle herd at risk.”

Kirkland, who is also a Sherman County Farm Bureau member, said safety is a concern with Brazil, Paraguay and other countries that have had a history of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and a “highly questionable record on food and animal health.”

According to NCBA, the U.S. is a prized market for U.S. beef sales, and countries like Brazil, Paraguay and Columbia that have a history of FMD view market access to the U.S. as an endorsement of their product. Securing access to the U.S. market is a top priority goal for those governments.

The U.S. eased restrictions of imports of fresh beef from Brazil in 2020, and since then, imports have significantly increased.

USDA lifted the ban on fresh beef from Paraguay in 2023. Since then, several lawmakers, including U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX), have introduced legislation to prohibit Paraguayan beef imports, citing FMD concerns.

FMD is a highly-contagious viral disease that can affect cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. It can lead to infections, painful blisters, lameness, loss of pregnancy and death in infected animals.

According to the Texas Animal Health Commission, the virus can survive in contaminated materials and the environment for several months under the right conditions. It can be transmitted through contaminated trailers, pens, feed, water, equipment and live animals.

“We need Congress and President Trump to hold these partners accountable and ensure the safety of American consumers and our cattle herd,” Kirkland said.

NCBA estimates that 15% of beef consumed in the U.S. is imported.

In 2024, the U.S. imported $11.73 billion in beef primarily from Australia, Canada, Mexico and New Zealand.

Kirkland noted NCBA’s concerns are not about competition. It’s about safety for the U.S. cattle herd, consumers and the public.

“We know that Brazil and Paraguay have had outbreaks of Foot and Mouth Disease,” Kirkland said. “It would be devastating to our livestock herd in the United States. If you go back in both instances, USDA (former) Secretary (of Agriculture Tom) Vilsack denied our request to suspend access and conduct new audits on Brazil and Paraguay to confirm their claims. Basically we’ve got to go back, do audits, see where we’re at there and suspend access to Brazil and Paraguay into our markets today. I think every sector of the beef industry agrees.”

In addition to Kirkland, lawmakers at the hearing heard from a representative from Harley Davidson on their trade priorities, from the president of the Coalition of Service Industries, from a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center.

The full hearing is available online.