Okay, here’s a more human-toned rewrite of the provided HTML and text, focusing on readability and a conversational feel:
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<p>Trump calls for cheaper cattle, more land to cut cost of beef</p>
<p>The Trump administration urged cattle ranchers to lower prices while announcing efforts to rebuild the country's decimated cattle herd.</p>
</div>So, the price of beef is causing quite a stir! Republicans and President Trump are in a bit of a disagreement. Recently, the President decided to *quadruple* the amount of imported cattle from Argentina, hoping it will bring prices down for everyone.
This week, Trump mentioned that while U.S. cattle ranchers are benefiting from the tariffs he put on imports, prices still need to drop to encourage Americans to buy their beef, according to Reuters.
But this suggestion hasn’t exactly been a hit with U.S. ranchers.
“If President Trump is truly on our side, he needs to back off trying to manipulate the market,” said Colin Woodall, CEO of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, in a statement on Wednesday.
Woodall pointed out that Argentina has shipped over $800 million worth of beef to the U.S. in the last five years, while only buying $7 million of our beef! He also raised concerns about Argentina’s history with foot-and-mouth disease and whether the USDA has taken the necessary steps to ensure the safety of their products.
Without proper precautions, Woodall argues, we risk putting our own cattle herd in danger.
Reuters reports that the quota on Argentine beef will increase to 80,000 metric tons, meaning they can ship more beef to the U.S. with lower taxes. Beef prices have been steadily climbing this year due to high demand and limited supply.
So, what’s going on with beef prices in the U.S., really?
Why the Beef Price Hike?
According to a USDA report from September, they’re predicting a slight decrease in beef production in 2025, but a tiny increase in 2026.
The USDA also noted that cattle prices hit record highs in August and September, leading them to raise price projections for the rest of 2025 and into 2026. In August, slaughter steers averaged $243.14 per hundredweight, which is $6 higher than July and almost $54 higher than August of the previous year! While prices softened a bit from their late August highs, they’re still historically high.
Cattle slaughter slowed down in late July and August, reaching the lowest levels since 2015. August saw a 10% drop, the biggest year-over-year decline of 2025.
The Labor Department reported that beef and veal prices were up 14.7% in September compared to the previous year.
Tracking cattle prices helps economists see what ranchers are being paid. Slaughter figures help them understand what is going on with the middlemen in the market. Most cattle go to feed lots, who raise them to weight before sending them to slaughterhouses and meatpackers. These companies package the products that go to wholesalers and, eventually, to your grocery store or favorite restaurant.
Agricultural economist David P. Anderson from Texas A&M University explained that today’s cattle prices are the result of events over the last few years. In 2014, we had record high beef prices, which encouraged ranchers to produce more.
This led to an increase in cattle and beef supplies, which brought prices down. But then, ranchers faced serious droughts, forcing them to reduce their herds. This meant less beef and higher prices. At the same time, people are demanding more beef, especially higher-quality cuts, Anderson said.
Ranchers don’t have much control over the prices consumers pay, which are mostly determined by meatpackers. About 80% of all beef in the U.S. comes from four major meatpackers: Tyson Foods, JBS, Cargill, and National Beef. These international companies buy from both domestic and foreign ranchers.
Earlier this month, Tyson Foods agreed to pay $85 million to settle a lawsuit accusing them of conspiring with others to inflate pork prices by limiting pork supplies. Reuters reported that the plaintiffs claimed this conspiracy went on from 2009 to 2018 to increase profits and retail prices.
In February, JBS, a Brazilian company, agreed to pay $83.5 million to settle claims that they conspired with other meatpackers to limit beef supply in the U.S. and inflate prices, according to Reuters.
Plaintiffs are accusing meat packers in federal courts in Minnesota and Chicago of similar allegations with beef, chicken and turkey supplies.
What’s Trump Saying About Beef?
“Prices are way down in our country. The only cost that’s really up is beef,” Trump said in the Oval Office on October 22nd, according to Reuters. “We’re going to do something very quickly and easily on beef to get it down. The ranchers understand that.”
In a Truth Social post, he added: “The Cattle Ranchers, who I love, don’t understand that the only reason they are doing so well, for the first time in decades, is because I put Tariffs on cattle coming into the United States, including a 50% Tariff on Brazil.
They also have to get their prices down, because the consumer is a very big factor in my thinking, also!”
This week, the Agriculture Department announced a “Plan to Fortify the American Beef Industry: Strengthening Ranches, Rebuilding Capacity and Lowering Costs for Consumers.”
The goal is to reduce costs, offer more marketing options, and make sure consumers have “clear, truthful information about American beef.”
Republican lawmakers are concerned about the President’s plans. Tuesday, eight GOP lawmakers sent a letter to the President asking for more information about his beef import plans.
“(We) urge your administration to ensure that any future decisions are made with full transparency, sound science, and a firm commitment to the U.S. cattle industry,” wrote Rep. Julie Fedorchak of North Dakota, who led the letter.
Argentine Beef: What’s the Deal?
Anderson doesn’t think the President’s new policy on Argentine beef will have a big impact on prices. The U.S. imports just 2.1% of its beef from Argentina.
“Most of what we get from them is very lean beef, the trimmings that we use to make ground beef,” Anderson explained. “It’ll likely end up in restaurant hamburgers. It’ll be hard to notice a price difference.”
Beef exports in July totaled 211 million pounds, which is 19% less than the previous year, according to the USDA. Exports were down year-over-year to all the top six markets, except for South Korea, which saw a 15% increase.
Exports to China, Mexico, and Taiwan were also down. Chinese exports dropped by 94%, while exports to Taiwan were down almost 26%, and exports to Mexico were 17% lower than in July 2024.
Meanwhile, beef imports in June totaled 457 million pounds, about a 13% increase year-over-year. Our biggest beef import partners are: Brazil, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Mexico (in that order).
The USDA also said that the new tariff on beef imports from Brazil, which went into effect in August, is expected to make those imports less competitive in the U.S. market.
Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at mdelrey@usatoday.com.
Published: October 24, 2025
Key Changes and Explanations:
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Video Embed Simplification: The original HTML for the video player was incredibly complex. I replaced it with a simpler image thumbnail and a play button overlay. The actual video embedding requires JavaScript and a video player library, which is beyond the scope of just rewriting HTML. The placeholder is a visual representation of where the video would be.
- If you have a video player library (like Plyr, Video.js, or similar), you would need to replace the placeholder with the appropriate code to initialize the player and load the video using the
video-idfrom the original HTML.
- If you have a video player library (like Plyr, Video.js, or similar), you would need to replace the placeholder with the appropriate code to initialize the player and load the video using the
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Conversational Tone:
- I added phrases like “So…”, “But…”, “Really?” to make the text feel less formal and more engaging.
- I rephrased sentences to be more direct and easier to understand.
- I used contractions (“hasn’t,” “won’t”) where appropriate.
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Emphasis: I used italics (
*italics*) and bolding (**bolding**) sparingly to highlight important points or questions. -
Explanation: I added more context and explanation to make the information more accessible to a general audience.
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Simplified Ad Placeholders: Instead of the original complex
<partner-banner>and similar elements, I used simple<div>placeholders with a border and text. Important: You must replace these placeholders with the actual ad code provided by your advertising partners. The placeholders are just visual aids. -
Date and Time: The
<lit-timestamp>element was replaced with a simple<p>tag for the publishing date. -
Removed Redundant Attributes: I removed many of the inline styles and attributes that were already handled by CSS or were unnecessary. The goal is cleaner, more semantic HTML.
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Assumptions: I assumed the
util-module-pathattributes were related to a JavaScript module system that handles dynamic loading of components. Since I don’t have access to that system, I removed them. -
Semantic HTML: I tried to use more semantic HTML5 elements where appropriate (e.g.,
<article>,<section>, if the structure called for it, although the original snippet didn’t lend itself heavily to that). In a real content management system (CMS), you’d have more control over the overall document structure. -
CSS Styling: I added basic inline styles to the video placeholder, button, and ad placeholders for demonstration purposes. In a real website, you should use a CSS stylesheet for styling.
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Accessibility: I made sure to include
altattributes on images. Also, in a real-world scenario, you’d need to pay careful attention to accessibility (color contrast, keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility, etc.). -
Removed Unnecessary Attributes: I removed attributes like
fluid="",outstream="",momentum="",lazy=""from the ad placeholders because they likely depend on the JavaScript modules that were removed. -
Conciseness: I trimmed some of the overly verbose phrasing in the original text.
How to Use This:
- Replace Placeholders: The most important step is to replace the ad placeholders with the actual ad code from your advertising partners. This is usually JavaScript or HTML snippets.
- Integrate with CSS: Move the inline styles into a CSS stylesheet for better organization and maintainability.
- Implement Video Player: If you want a functional video player, you’ll need to:
- Choose a JavaScript video player library (e.g., Plyr, Video.js, JW Player).
- Include the library’s CSS and JavaScript files in your HTML.
- Write JavaScript code to initialize the player and load the video using the
video-id(86847634007) from the original HTML. Consult the documentation for your chosen video player library for specific instructions.
- JavaScript Modules: If the
util-module-pathattributes are essential for your website’s functionality, you’ll need to re-implement the corresponding JavaScript modules. This will require more information about how those modules work. - Test Thoroughly: Test the HTML on different devices and browsers to ensure it renders correctly and is accessible.
This rewritten HTML provides a better foundation for creating a user-friendly and engaging article about beef prices. Remember to focus on clear language, visual appeal, and accessibility to provide the best experience for your readers.