Today, in response to President Donald Trump’s recent false claims about cattle ranchers and the impacts of his reckless tariffs on cattle ranching families, Audrey Denney shared her perspective as an expert in agricultural and food systems and advocate for Northern California farmers and ranchers.
As someone who grew up on a cattle ranch, served as a National Beef Ambassador with the American National CattleWomen’s Association, and has worked professionally with clients like the Texas Beef Council, I can tell you firsthand that Donald Trump’s recent statement about tariffs being the reason U.S. cattle ranchers are “doing so well” is flat wrong.
Cattle ranchers’ success has never depended on political gimmicks like tariffs. It’s built on generations of hard work, stewardship of the land, and resilience through volatile markets, droughts, and policy shifts far beyond their control. Tariffs on imported cattle do little to support American ranchers in the long run; in fact, they often create instability in global trade and can hurt the very producers they claim to protect by triggering retaliatory measures or disrupting export markets for U.S. beef.
The challenges facing American cattle producers today, like rising input costs, corporate consolidation in meatpacking, land access, lack of price transparency, and climate-driven stress on feed and water, are not solved by blanket tariffs. They’re solved through smart agricultural policy, fair markets, and investment in rural economies.
I’m proud to stand with the ranching families who put food on our tables and care for our working lands. They deserve better. They deserve leaders who understand how the cattle industry really works, not politicians who try to take credit for their hard-earned success.
Denney has vowed to use her real-world experience and background in agricultural science and food security to enhance access to nutritious food for working families in Northern California and beyond, while supporting the farmers and ranchers who make food access possible. Read about her policy approaches to strengthening agriculture and rural economies here.
