The nine most terrifying words in the English language
- ZISK
- 3 minutes ago
- 1 min read
In August of 1986, President Reagan held a press conference discussing the role of government in agriculture. He was against government interference in the agriculture markets. His famous quote was the nine most terrifying words in the English language: “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” At this moment, everyone in the beef industry should be terrified. The White House says they have a plan to lower beef prices. The comment sent feeder cattle futures limit down on Friday, Oct. 17, and the most active December live cattle contract closed more than 600 points lower.
In my opinion, President Trump is getting some really bad advice from his Cabinet. There is no way the government is going to force beef prices substantially lower. Details of the “plan” have yet to be released. Odds are high it will involve dropping the 50% tariff currently in place on beef imported from Brazil. This will force beef 90s lower to a degree which may allow ground beef prices to ease down from record highs. This, in turn, may allow primal beef end cuts to soften slightly, but it won’t have any impact on middle beef cuts, which are the most expensive.
Dennis Smith
October 20, 2025
