Let’s be honest—every trip to the grocery store feels like highway robbery these days, especially when you hit the meat section. American families are watching helplessly as beef prices soar while ranchers struggle to stay afloat with declining cattle prices. This scam—because that’s what it is—has finally caught the attention of someone willing to expose it.
Here’s the thing nobody wants to say out loud: the widening gap between farm and fork prices isn’t some academic mystery. It’s evidence of something rotten in America’s heartland, and the numbers don’t lie even if these corporations do.
From Breitbart:
President Donald Trump has ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate the “Big Four” meatpackers, who control the overwhelming majority of the nation’s beef products, for what he says is a history of “price fixing” and “illicit collusion.”
“I have asked the DOJ to immediately begin an investigation into the Meat Packing Companies who are driving up the price of Beef through Illicit Collusion, Price Fixing, and Price Manipulation,” Trump announced in a Truth Social post.
President Trump’s order to the Department of Justice represents a long-overdue reckoning with the Big Four meatpackers—JBS (Brazil-based), Cargill, Tyson Foods, and National Beef. These corporations now control an astounding 85 percent of the U.S. beef market, up from just 36 percent in 1980. This isn’t free market capitalism; it’s a cartel in everything but name. And before you blame your local rancher—don’t. They’re getting squeezed harder than anyone.
Foreign Control of America’s Dinner Table
The most alarming aspect? It’s who controls these companies. When foreign-owned corporations dominate something as fundamental as our food supply, we’re not talking about economics anymore. We’re talking about sovereignty. These majority foreign-owned entities have positioned themselves as gatekeepers between American ranchers and American consumers, extracting massive profits while both ends suffer.
R-CALF USA, representing American cattle ranchers, has been shouting into the void about this for years. Their CEO Bill Bullard praised Trump’s investigation, noting there has “long been a disconnect between cattle prices and beef prices.” Translation: the game is rigged, and everyone except the middlemen loses.
The Price-Fixing Puzzle
Here’s where it gets really interesting. The president himself pointed to the smoking gun: cattle prices down, boxed beef prices up. As Trump noted, “you know that something is ‘fishy.'” This price manipulation threatens the survival of independent American ranchers who built this nation’s agricultural backbone. Industry consolidation has “crushed competition and hammered cattle producers,” according to the White House, with the top four packers’ share exploding from one-third in the 1980s to over 80 percent by the mid-1990s.
Think about that for a second. Four companies—run by foreign interests, no less—get to decide what American families pay for beef. The consequences? Slashed payments to ranchers, reduced herd sizes, skyrocketing consumer prices, and a compromised food supply chain. Every American family becomes a victim of what looks suspiciously like organized corporate theft.
This investigation represents more than potential price relief. It’s about reclaiming American control over our food destiny. These corporate giants have operated with impunity for decades, treating our food supply as their personal ATM while American ranchers declare bankruptcy and families ration hamburger. Trump’s promise that criminals “will pay a steep price” sends a clear message: the era of foreign monopolies bleeding American consumers dry is ending. The fight for fair beef prices is ultimately a fight for economic independence—and it starts at your kitchen table.
Key Takeaways
- Foreign-owned meatpackers control 85% of America’s beef market
- Trump orders DOJ investigation into price-fixing by Big Four processors
- Cattle prices falling while beef prices soar signals market manipulation
- American ranchers and consumers are both victims of corporate monopoly abuse
