WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Donald Trump signed two executive orders Sept. 4, directing federal agencies to review such issues as livestock predator management, mandatory country-of-origin labeling (MCOOL) for beef, Packers and Stockyards Act enforcement, and processing and market access expansion.

In addition to the two executive orders, the USDA also announced four additional actions it is taking to follow-up on the “USDA Plan to Fortify the American Beef” (2025 USDA Beef Plan) released last year, and the Ranchers First Initiative released in August.

“Through our Beef Plan and the Ranchers First Initiative, we are working to continue increasing our nation’s heifer retention rate,” said USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins. “Today, the president laid out tools to better equip farmers and ranchers to deal with dangerous predators threatening their livestock, provide more transparency for consumers on where their meat originates, and expand market opportunities, while maintaining our world class food safety standards.”

The first executive order is for predator management and country-of origin labeling: It first directs U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum to determine whether gray wolves or Mexican wolves meet the criteria for delisting or downlisting under the Endangered Species Act, and begin the process of delisting or downlisting them.

In addition, Burgum and the USDA are directed to update their standards for compensating ranchers for losses due to predators, and to ease authorization for lethal removal, when necessary, the agency said.

Building on the voluntary Product of USA label, this executive order also directs the USDA, in consultation with United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, to review its authorities related to MCOOL for beef products through new regulations and legislative recommendations, the USDA added.

Andrew P. Griffith, University of Tennessee professor of agricultural and resource economics, has owned his own cattle operation since 2017. Currently, he has 550 to 600 head, which is a mix of mature cows, heifer development and stocker cattle.

He told Farm World, from the standpoint of MCOOL, there is considerable research that demonstrates consumers are not willing to pay for this information, which means it is an added cost to the producer, with no return.

“There are producer groups that certainly think otherwise, but it is difficult to argue with repeated studies that say the market is not willing to pay for the information,” he said. “As a producer myself, my thought is if it is so valuable to include country-of-origin labeling, then why aren’t packers using the voluntary system to label meat based on its country-of-origin labeling?

“There is nothing that says an entity cannot include country-of-origin labeling,” he added. “The last time we did all of this mandatory country-of-origin labeling stuff, the WTO (World Trade Organization) said we were violating our trade agreements, which then results in another cost.”

The USDA said the second executive order would strengthen packer competition and expand processing and market access: It first directs the USDA to prioritize investigations into potential violations of the Packers and Stockyards Act, and increase enforcement resources and staffing.

The agency said it also directs USDA to continue close coordination with the U.S. Department of Justice, and report to the president on current enforcement actions, resource needs, and a plan to strengthen enforcement over the next year.

Griffith said, “As it relates to strengthening the American beef supply through packers and processors, the slaughter and packing industry is an expensive business to enter, and margins are small relative to many other industries.

“I am sure there are steps that can be taken to improve current facilities beyond what has already been done, but increasing packing capacity during a time when cattle supply is low will likely result in folks losing money,” he added.

The agency said this executive order also directs the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service to expand the Cooperative Interstate Shipment and Talmadge-Aiken programs so more state-inspected meat can cross state lines, build a “one-stop shop,” and dedicated technical assistance program for smaller processors, and modernizes meat inspection regulations to cut unnecessary red tape.

The USDA said these programs are agency-managed, federal-state partnerships that allow state-inspected meat and poultry facilities to sell their products using federal approval.

Under the 2025 USDA Beef Plan, a USDA and U.S. Department of the Interior grazing memorandum of understanding was signed to improve coordination, expand producer access, streamline management, and prevent loss of Animal Unit Months, which refers to a reduction in the forage capacity or permitted grazing access on public and private rangelands.

In addition, the U.S. Forest Service is working to clarify and streamline regulatory authorities to get more animals on the landscape, and will be making changes to streamline permitting and better align U.S. Forest Service processes with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

The agency also said it will prioritize gathering feedback directly from ranchers through numerous listening sessions, roundtables and meetings, as well as provide $700 million for a Regenerative Pilot Program, which seeks to enhance long-term agricultural sustainability, including rotational grazing and integrating livestock.

The Ranchers First Initiative would seek to increase grazing lands enrolled in the agency’s Conservation Reserve Program, with the USDA enrolling nearly 1 million new acres in Grasslands Conservation Reserve Program, providing ranchers with rental payments and cost share assistance to maintain rangeland and pastureland as grazing areas.

The USDA will also work to nearly double the number of producers and plants in the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service’s Remote Grading Program, which matches technology (e.g., smartphones and a customized, easy-to-use app), with a data management and oversight program to enable USDA to assign grades to beef carcasses from an offsite location, the agency said.

The USDA said it will also increase adoption of the Instrument-Enhanced Grading Program, now used on approximately 20 percent of fed cattle (20,000 head per day) slaughtered in the U.S. Under the program, the agency added that facilities can reduce grader staffing, sometimes by as much as half, resulting in significant cost savings.

Griffith said, “In relation to what farmers think will happen with these executive orders, I am sure there are some that are hopeful everything President Trump is asking here will happen, but I bet most are not thinking too much about any of it.”