RELEASE: Breakthrough Institute Statement on USDA Plan to Strengthen the U.S. Beef Industry

Washington, D.C. — October 22, 2025 — The Breakthrough Institute welcomes today’s announcement from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins outlining new federal measures to expand U.S. beef production and strengthen domestic processing capacity.

The plan’s goal—to bolster American beef supply, support ranchers, and maintain affordable prices for consumers—is an important step toward ensuring a resilient, productive, and lower-emission livestock sector.

“American ranchers produce some of the most efficient and lowest-emission beef in the world,” said Dan Blaustein-Rejto, Director of Food and Agriculture at the Breakthrough Institute. “If this initiative helps them raise productivity and sell more of that beef abroad, it could reduce global livestock emissions while revitalizing rural economies here at home.”

However, increasing U.S. beef output can yield meaningful climate benefits only when paired with expanding international markets for U.S. exports. American beef’s high productivity and lower emissions make it well suited to displace more carbon-intensive beef from producers abroad. Lowering trade barriers and improving export access should therefore be a top policy priority alongside domestic investment.

“Building processing plants and expanding grazing access is helpful, but expanding export markets remains essential,” Blaustein-Rejto said. “Growing export markets for American beef can make this plan a win not only for producers and consumers, but for the climate as well.”

By improving productivity, reducing input costs, expanding export markets, and managing rangelands sustainably, the USDA’s plan can strengthen the beef sector while helping to lower global emissions.

Read more of The Breakthrough Institute’s analysis, “How Trump Can Quietly Cut Global Livestock Emissions by Selling American Beef.”

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Media Contact:

Dan Blaustein-Rejto

Director of Food and Agriculture, Breakthrough Institute

dan@thebreakthrough.org