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Trump Orders Self-Processing for Farmers, Targets Beef Monopolies

8/29/2026

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Summary

Story summary

U.S. President Donald Trump announced a legal order allowing farmers and ranchers to process their own food.
Donald Trump called Cargill, Tyson Foods, JBS USA and National Beef a “nasty monopoly” harming ranchers.
Those four firms process roughly 85% of U.S. beef.
Donald Trump signed a proclamation adding 300,000 metric tons of lean-beef trimmings in three 100,000-ton shipments.

History

Historical Context

During World War I President Wilson asked the FTC to probe meat packers, and Attorney General Palmer’s 1920 consent decree led to the Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921, a federal curb on packer power. The 1995 DOJ settlement that limited Cargill, Tyson, JBS USA and National Beef—then controlling about 80% of U.S. beef capacity—mirrors that legacy, and Trump’s 2024 executive order challenges the firms.

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Story summary

U.S. President Donald Trump announced a legal order allowing farmers and ranchers to process their own food.
Donald Trump called Cargill, Tyson Foods, JBS USA and National Beef a “nasty monopoly” harming ranchers.
Those four firms process roughly 85% of U.S. beef.
Donald Trump signed a proclamation adding 300,000 metric tons of lean-beef trimmings in three 100,000-ton shipments.

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