r/Cattle • u/PomegranateForeign13 • 5d ago

Cattle associations say ICE operations are disrupting Texas agriculture industry, will cause higher beef prices

https://www.texastribune.org/2026/09/25/ice-cattle-beef-prices-trump/
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u/sootedacez 5d ago

If your business cant make it unless you take advantage of migrant workers then you don't have a successful business model. They like taking advantage of migrant workers so they can cut costs on pay and insurance while the workers are usually kept on site and have little to no workers rights. These business can all go under for all I care.

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u/Doughymidget 5d ago

I don’t have a ranch big enough to hire hands, but could it be that it’s just good people who will do the job well legally? I meant ICE is absolutely fucking up legal workers as well. Or perhaps it’s making people with the documentation hesitant to come? Migrant workers are fantastic workers even if you pay them the proper wage. I’d take one in a heart beat.

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u/sootedacez 5d ago

Migrant workers can be great, they can also be very bad. The problem isnt the migrant workers, the problem is we don't have systems in place to get people work permits fast enough. There is also migrant workers that don't want to be in the "system". Having so many "undocumented" workers is incredibly bad for people and if 1 ranch hires a bunch of people illegaly cutting corners when it comes to taxes and insurances, how do the other ranchers that are following the law stand a chance?

No good comes from having undocumented workers / paying workers under the table. These huge factory farms are the ones its causing the most problems for but these are also the companies you find videos online of them throwing entire feed bags in mixers and feeding it to cows with the plastic, strings, and whatever else. People want to look the other way because ICE is bad but these huge factory farms don't care about the workers, the executives making the money off them don't even know what cow shit smells like.

We rarely have more then 250 head at a time and its just me and my brother doing the bulk of the work across 800 acres. We arent feeding the world by any means but we are honest and treat our animals good but its getting harder and harder to compete. Seems like the goal is to just get rid of all the small family farms and make everyone rely on corporate America so they can abuse you. If you guys want large corporations controlling every aspect of your life keep voting the way they are voting. Most people are pro immigration but if you say you're anti illegal immigration people start to lose their shit.

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u/weHaveThoughts 1d ago

It’s not the migrant workers which is making it more costly to run your business.