Two years into the Biden administration, ranchers say their jobs have gotten '1,000 times harder'
Inflation, high energy prices and illegal immigration at the southern border all create uncertainty in the ranching industry
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ranchers from across the country say their jobs under the Biden administration have gotten much more difficult, mired with uncertainty and needless regulation.
"It’s extremely difficult right now with the current administration," J.J. Goicoechea, a Nevada rancher told Fox News Digital. Other factors, such as inflation and a looming decision from the Supreme Court regarding water usage in the United States, are added elements of uncertainty, said Goicoechea, who is also the GOP-appointed director of the state's Department of Agriculture.
That uncertainty, he added, is driving many farmers and ranchers out of the industry.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}NEVADA RANCHER WARNS INFLATION ISN'T OVER: AMERICANS SHOULD PREPARE TO PAY MORE FOR GROCERIES
Ranchers from across the country warned the Biden administration's policies have made their job more difficult. (Nick Oxford/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"[It’s] 1,000 times harder," said Alisa Ogden, a New Mexico rancher. "It really is difficult. It’s hard to keep people working for you, just because of some of the free things they have gotten from the Biden administration."
"The uncertainty of everything has really caused a lot of issues," Ogden added.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Loren Patterson, also from New Mexico, said it’s "definitely been harder."
"We seem to have more regulatory pressures put on us, specifically through the Endangered Species Act, and then all the supply chain issues, getting supplies to our family ranches is getting more and more difficult," he added, noting that issues like fuel prices are "stacking and stacking the deck against us."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Both Ogden and Patterson also highlighted that Biden’s border policies have made ranching in the southern states more difficult.
"Our family ranches are no longer a place for family," Patterson said. "We can’t take our children or wives out there and show them the ways of producing and animal husbandry and stewardship because it’s so dangerous."
Two New Mexico ranchers said Biden's border policies have made their jobs more difficult. Todd Wilkinson of the National Cattleman's Beef Association praised the Biden administration for engaging with the ranching community, however. ((Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images))
Despite these criticisms, Todd Wilkinson, president of the National Cattleman’s Beef Association, said the Biden administration has engaged with the ranching community.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Every administration has positives and negatives…with the Biden administration, they have had a pretty good dialogue with us, they seem to be concerned about our issues," he told Fox News Digital.
But even with that engagement, Wilkinson said it was not a "cakewalk."
"Certainly we disagree on some major issues, but it could be a lot worse," he added.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Debbie Lyons-Blythe, a Kansas rancher also noted that the Biden administration has listened to the concerns of the industry, but said many of their policies are counter-productive.
Lyons-Blythe, who also serves as the president of the U.S. Roundtable on Sustainable Beef, said many of the administration’s climate priorities are counter-productive, and hinder ranchers' ability to create tangible change on their land.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Unfortunately a lot of the laws that are being brought forth … I don’t think we’re going to be able to see a direct improvement. I’m afraid that many of them are coming forth from a position of not really improving the climate, but because they have an axe to grind," she said.
A Kansas rancher told Fox News Digital the Biden administration's climate initiatives are primarily politics, and won't create tangible results. (Nick Oxford/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"It’s politics, and I’m sorry that it is impacting our food supply," she added. "We have got to be able to be free to continue our voluntary methods, and making sure that we are doing the right thing, and we don’t need more regulations to do that."
Rising fuel costs and inflation was noted as one of the key issues affecting the industry, but there was a solution, Goichoccchea said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Green energy is great, we’re not there yet," he said. "I think technology will get there eventually… we’ve got to get back to energy independence, so that price of input goes down. When the price of input goes down, the price of energy goes down."
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Ogden also emphasized the importance of stopping illegal immigration.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"You need to have that want, and desire, to come into the United States, … and to be able to be a productive person. And that’s all that we’re asking for. As long as there is no control over the border, this isn’t going to happen," she said.
Lyons-Smith said education, and active engagement with the ranching industry, are positive steps in curbing many of the problems within the industry.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"If you’re going to learn about what happens on a ranch, the person you should ask is a cattle rancher. You shouldn’t go talk to a politician, you shouldn’t talk to an activist. You should visit a ranch," she said.