As The White House announces a new trade deal with China, ranchers in Texas praised the Trump administration’s agreement with the foreign power.
Lubbock cattleman Hadley Mann said the partnership was “something that we needed in the market from the get-go.”
Mann, the owner and operator of Mann Cattle Company in North Lubbock, applauded the president’s plan.
“This deal is going to create a lot more stable market,” he said. “We’re going to see a lot more trade dollars flow into the beef industry.”
“Demand is going to be so high, we’re just going to see our beef exports go through the roof,” Mann added.
In a Friday press briefing, White House press secretary Sean Spicer addressed some of the provisions of the trade agreement.
“China is the second largest beef importer in the world, buying roughly $2.6 billion of beef every year,” he said as he announced the plan.
President Trump tweeted about the deal on Friday, saying in part, “China just agreed that the U.S. will be allowed to sell beef, and other major products, into China once again.”
Mann said he hoped for a 2000% increase in profit, once the Chinese start buying American beef in mid-July, a first since 2003.
“We’re not going to see a $20 profit with these cattle anymore, we’re going to start seeing $100, $200 a head profits,” Mann said. “Where we’re seeing cattle selling them for $1.35 a pound, we’re probably going to see cattle go up to $1.75 to $2.00, to where the market was 2 years ago.”
Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller, who served on Trump’s transition team, traveled to China to assist in the trade negotiations.
“I spent 11 days in China,” Miller said in an April interview with EverythingLubbock.com. “[The Chinese] said no one’s really asked us about [beef], so give us a proposal.”
Miller, along with members of the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, and Treasury, worked on a proposal, which China’s government agreed upon.
“And voila, we’re going to send them beef again,” Miller said.
With China’s sky-high population, Miller said exporting beef bodes well for American ranchers.
“(They have a) billion people over there,” Miller said. “(If each were to eat) one quarter pound hamburger, that’s 250,000,000 pounds of beef. Texas is the number one beef producing state in the union, twice as much as the second place. That could be huge to our cattle producers.”
“We are going to see a slow increase but it’s going to be an increase,” Mann mentioned. “We are going to start making money on cattle again.”
“Every opportunity we can grant for the agricultural industry is great,” Mann added. “It’s a bright future for us in the agricultural world.”