Consumers deserve the truth about their beef | Emily Marburger

Montanans know the difference between something that is real and something that is marketed to look real.

That matters when you are talking about beef.

For years, ranchers across Montana have watched foreign beef enter the American market, get processed or repackaged domestically, then receive labels that suggest it is a product of the United States. Consumers think they are buying American-raised beef. Often, they are not. Ranchers know it. Shoppers increasingly know it too.

That is why Country of Origin Labeling, or COOL, continues to resonate so deeply here. It is not some abstract trade debate here. It is about whether the people raising cattle in places like Glendive, Miles City, Malta and Dillon can compete on an even playing field.

Montanans are asking for transparency.

The irony is hard to ignore. Americans can trace where their coffee beans came from, where their wine was bottled and where their clothing was manufactured, but when it comes to beef, one of the most important products tied to Montana’s economy and identity, the labeling rules are vague enough to confuse consumers and undercut producers.

That disconnect feels especially glaring in a state where ranching is woven into the culture itself. The history of the Miles City Bucking Horse Sale tells the story better than any campaign speech could. What began as a local gathering after World War II grew into one of the defining events of the American West because it reflected something authentic about Montana life: hard work, self-reliance and deep roots in the land. Ranching here is not a marketing ploy. It is strongly tied to generational identity.

That is part of why so many Montanans bristle at misleading food labels. They understand what it takes to raise cattle through brutal winters, drought years and volatile markets. They also understand what happens when multinational meatpacking corporations gain too much control over pricing and distribution while family ranchers get squeezed from every direction.

Mandatory COOL will not solve every problem facing rural Montana, but it is a basic step toward a fairer market. Consumers deserve clear information about what they are buying. Ranchers deserve the ability to differentiate their product from imported beef and Montanans deserve federal policy that recognizes the value of what our ranchers work so hard to produce.

This should not be a partisan issue. It is a Montana issue.

Ranchers across the state, including the Montana Farmers Union, have been sounding the alarm on this for years because they know what is at stake: the long-term survival of independent family ranches.

If a package says “Product of USA,” it should actually mean it. There is great pride in raising American beef. Let’s act like it.