To Import or Not - Can We Feed Our Own Nation?

Rowlynda Moretti
1 day ago
9 min read

The news is full of "BEEF" right now - in many ways! A recent topic - imported beef - raises many questions. Is the beef being imported safe? Where is it from?

My grandfather gave me a perspective worth thinking about - he spent four years fighting for American freedom in the South Pacific in World War II. He thought we needed to be able to feed our own people. Do we really want to live in a country that cannot feed itself? Probably not. Some may not think it is not that important. I think it is an issue of national security.

Less than 2% of Americans work in the industry that feeds the entire nation. The food supply of America falls on 2% of us. In a world where in many instances it feels like participation counts the same as output - it definitely does not for those in agriculture.

The nations beef inventory is at an all-time low - The U.S. beef cow inventory dropped to 28.5 million head as of July 1, 2026, marking the lowest count for July since the USDA began tracking the data series in 1971. (American Farm Bureau)

This low comes from a mirid of different reasons. One of the main reasons is simple - we have OVER REGULATED agriculture. Weather events have been a contributing factor, droughts, floods, fires - the American Cattlemen has always contended with Mother Nature. High input costs - many from unreasonable regulations - are at the top of the list of issues. In this nation and especially in the state of California - we have regulated everything, nothing is left without a rule to follow. The tractors and equipment we purchased in good faith in the past now don't fit current regulations, the trucks we use to haul our cattle must be modified to fit CARB. These large purchases were made in good faith that they would get to be used for the next generation. We were raised to take good care of things and maintain equipment. Now half the time items are regulated out of use before we even get a chance to wear them out. Prop 12 is another cost - we have to take a day out of working on our operation and pay an official to come tell us we have enough space for our pigs. We fit Prop 12's requirements before it went into effect. Now we have more cost (time and money) and no difference or improvement in our product than we did before. As ranchers we are supposed to let mountain lions and wolves decimate our herd. Here in California mountain lions have a three-strike rule before the State Trapper can relocate them - so we have to loose three animals before anyone will take notice. To put that in perspective if you owned a car dealership - you would have to let someone steal three cars before anyone came to help.

RFK did get it right when he changed the food pyramid - so now we all understand BEEF IS HEALTHY. We should eat beef. The question is did we forget about that for too long? The cattle inventory is now at an all-time low.

The cost at the grocery store is unbearable for all food items. Ranchers as a demographic - are the salt of the earth - no rancher wants American families struggling to feed their children.

However we do NOT want you to over regulate us and then import beef from other countries. We have to feed our own families as well. Those other sources should have the same burden of regulation that American ranchers face.

Over regulation and the solution of importation is a deeply American issue across ALL sectors, across all parties. It is an issue across all hard working Americans that produce American products and want to spend their hard earned dollar to purchase American Made.

A question I'd imaging the average consumer to have is - "You own your land, you own your cows - how come the cost of your beef goes up?" It is a good question and one worth answering.

While we do own our land - Property Taxes in the state of California and especially the county of San Diego are very high. Land must be maintained which is costly.
Insurance rates continue to climb at ridiculous rates - both for wildfire insurance and for liability insurance. In California - we live in the land where you can be sued for anything - so you better have insurance.
The cost of labor has greatly increased while the available labor pool seems to continue to decrease. Ranching is hard work. Finding people willing to do that in today's day and age is tough. In many ways American culture has demonized a hard days work or working with your hands. I know the four year university I attended definitely had very little respect for those of us that work with our hands for a living. Furthermore the labor needed is both skilled and physically demanding. We need you to be a mechanic, have great stockmanship skills, know how run irrigation, drive a tractor, and hey you might even end up being a midwife by the end of the day. Ranching is 7 days a week, 365 days a year, so it is tough to operate with no labor cost. If you want a day off ever - you better have some well trained dependable help.
The cost of replacement cattle has skyrocketed. Outside cattle must be purchased to maintain a good healthy herd and blood lines (no inbreeding). Bulls prices are high, replacement heifers are high as well.
Fuel affects us greatly - we have to move our cattle, haul them to the butcher (long distances due to government regulation), haul feed, plant fields, harvest hay, move around the ranch, build fence - you name it and it probably takes fuel.
Feed costs continue to climb - we only feed all natural and American beef grain. That price fluctuates. We do grow our own hay but the price of seed continues to climb as well.
Animal welfare costs - salt, mineral, vet costs, cattle chutes - all of those costs continue to rise. Horses must be shoed and receive veterinary care and medications, cattle dogs must be kept in good health, etc.
Processing fees continue to rise. Our butchers must pay their labor wages (which are also both highly skilled and physically demanding). The cost of the packaging (plastic, paper, labels) continues to rise as well as their electricty costs running coolers and freezers. USDA processing adds a cost - especially the fact that there are so few of them California and they are so far away from Southern California. California does not have a state processing program - so all beef must be federally inspected. Roughly 27 states operate active state MPI programs that meet federal equivalence standards, though these products are generally restricted to intrastate (within-state) sales only. California does not.
Equipment must be maintained or replaced. From small items to big items - they all have to be kept in working order and well kept for future generations.
Infrastructure must be maintained and preserved for the next generation. Barns must be re-roofed, re-painted and repaired. Roads must be maintained, drainage must be maintained, and the list goes on.
Fences must be maintained, fixed, replaced. The cost of metal and materials continues to skyrocket and materials can be hard to get with long wait times or high freight.
Electricity - SDGE seems to take a good chunk of our money all the time. “SDG&E residential and commercial delivery rates are the absolute highest in the country and have 20-year (compound annual growth rate) well in excess of inflation!” (https://voiceofsandiego.org/2023/08/29/san-diegos-eye-popping-electricity-rates-get-national-notoriety/) San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) filed its most recent major rate proposal in June 2026, requesting an 8.6% combined rate increase for 2028. Ag meters have stringent requirements with low usage and only covering meters that only pump water. In reality they should be called water meters not Agriculture meters.
- Cattle drink a lot of water - especially in the summer when rates are the highest. It is estimated that 25 cows drink 450 - 500 gallons of water a day when temperatures are in the 90's. That is a lot of water to pump, and a lot of electricity to pay for.
- Freezers for our meat constantly pull power and are another huge energy user.
- We also face frequent power outages (especially during high wind events), sometimes for weeks at a time, so infrastructure such as back up generators must be purchased and maintained.

My grandfather told me "Ranching is good life, but a hard living". I don't expect that to change. I am beyond thankful to be carrying on the ranching tradition, despite challenges we face. I wouldn't change it for the world. I feel blessed to have the opportunity and the ability to work on a ranch. Passing this tradition down to the next generation is the goal.

As an industry Cattlemen are very efficient. Finished beef cattle weigh significantly more at slaughter than they did in the mid-20th century, adding an extra 200 to 300 pounds per head. Genetic improvements account for about 62% of the efficiency gains over the last 50 years, paired with better feed, health, and herd management. In the cattle business we continue to find ways to improve yields and cut costs. The American cattleman is creating a great and efficient product. However, we do need to be able to efficiently process our animals and we need to use all of our animals.

There have been trends and fads over the years that resulted in main stream culture preferring less animal by products. They wanted synthetic leather (as opposed to real leather). They didn't want animal by products in cosmetics. This led to alot of the resources that cattlemen create (hides, fat, organs, manure, hooves, bones) not being used to their full potential. We wanted to drink almond milk instead of cow milk, and heavily regulated the dairy industry. Less dairy cows means far less cull cows that traditionally were used for ground beef. We demonized agriculture and told people red meat was bad. So it is not surprising that now we are looking around wondering - where have all the cows gone? When things don't make sense like creating synthetic leather instead of using what God created - it's that simple - it does not make sense.

Land for grazing is hard to find - although in California we have plenty of land that needs to be managed. As wildfires ravage the nation and the state of California - the good that cattle do by grazing land needs to be recognized. Fire prevention can potentially save the tax payer a ton of money, while assisting with rebuilding America's beef herd.

Let Americans choose what they want to eat. Do not over regulate ranchers and then force the nation into foreign products. Drink the raw milk, buy the bread from your neighbor, let ranchers process their own beef. We as ranchers will take the utmost care to make sure our products are safe, it is out reputation at stake. State and local food regulations are good and safe, and used in this country every day. Many industries maintain the highest standards of food safety without relying on federal inspectors. Go back to treating Americans like intelligent individuals with the freedom to chose what they EAT. If they want to take the risk of drinking raw milk, that is their choice (my Great Grandfather, Grandfather, and Dad did). If they want to buy a birthday cake from someone that cooks out of their kitchen, that is their risk to take. If they want to trust a local rancher to safely process their meat - that is their choice. When did what we put into our bodies loose so much freedom of choice? The American consumer is fully capable of vetting their own food and choosing where to spend their money.

How can you help as a consumer?

Support your local rancher. Help them use the animal "Hoof to Tail". Learn how to make bone broth, get a wild hair and cook a beef tongue. Decide to eat beef liver - one of the most nutritious and yet cheapest foods on the planet. Beef liver is widely considered one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet, gram for gram outperforming almost every other food source. Help us use the whole animal in its entirety. Purchase American raised beef when you are shopping at the grocery store.

Lets all get back to the basics. Shop local. Don't waste. Use all the resources we have. Buy the purse made of real American made leather, try that recipe you saw on Pinterest for ox tail, use beef tallow based skincare products, buy a muffin from someone down the road. It doesn't have to be quite as complicated as it has become. Back to the Basics.

At Carrisito Ranch we are open the second Friday and Saturday of the month from 9-Noon! See you at the ranch!

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