To: R-CALF USA Members and Affiliates
From: Bill Bullard, CEO
Date: March 5, 2025
Subject: We Need to Make Our Tariff Support Known: Calls and Letters Needed
Background: R-CALF USA has long supported tariffs on beef, cattle, sheep and lamb imports as a means of leveling the playing field for domestic producers. Tariffs do this by preventing importers from sourcing much cheaper foreign products whenever our domestic markets hit the price point needed to incentivize herd expansion. Over the past 30 years, we’ve become more and more dependent on imported beef and imported lamb because importers use cheaper imports to leverage down our domestic prices and displace our domestic production.
Yesterday, President Trump imposed a 25% tariff on nearly all goods from Canada and Mexico, including on cattle, beef, sheep, and lamb meat.
R-CALF USA may be the only major agriculture organization that is publicly supporting tariffs. Both major farm groups have publicly denounced these tariffs and other groups are maintaining silence.
We’re going to have to fight back against these tariff opponents and we need your help to support the tariffs already in effect and to encourage tariffs on imported beef, sheep and lamb meat from Australia, New Zealand and South America.
If you haven’t seen our video in support of the new tariffs, you can watch it here: YouTube video in support of tariffs.
Action: Please consider calling your two senators and your representative to urge them to support the 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports and encourage them to support similar tariffs on imports from Australia, New Zealand and South America (Brazil in particular).
Also consider expressing your support for tariffs through letters to the editors of your local and regional newspapers and on social media.
You can reach your members of Congress by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and asking for each of your senators and your representative by name.
Thank you for your help! We’ll be in touch.
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Ranchers Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA) is the largest producer-only lobbying and trade association representing U.S. cattle producers. It is a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring the continued profitability and viability of the U.S. cattle and sheep industries. For more information, visit www.r-calfusa.com or call 406-252-2516.