The U.S. Department of Agriculture has unveiled the Ranchers First Initiative to rebuild the nation’s cattle herd, strengthen domestic beef production and support American ranchers as the herd reaches a 75-year low, according to the Trump administration. The package expands livestock risk-management tools, conservation assistance, processing capacity, credit and opportunities for new and beginning producers. It includes the BRAND endorsement for livestock risk protection, disaster-recovery support on Grassland Conservation Reserve Program acres, the SPUR Guaranteed Loan Program for regional processors and small businesses, processor-continuity efforts and greater federal purchases of locally processed American beef. National Farmers Union President Rob Larew said the measures were steps in the right direction but insufficient without a durable commitment to herd rebuilding and stronger competition in the cattle market. Larew also urged the administration and Congress to support mandatory country-of-origin labeling, arguing that imported beef can be blended into products marketed as American under current rules. The announcement builds on the USDA’s October 2025 beef-industry plan and follows several 2026 initiatives, as well as President Trump’s decision last month to temporarily lift higher tariffs on imported beef.