SCOUTING REPORT | Investigating a beef monopoly, Covid holdouts, deploying South Dakota troops

A weekly digest of interesting local, state, national and even international developments

Cattle ranchers have long griped that the nation’s beef packers collude to drive down the value of their stock, while hiking up the price that consumers pay for beef. Amid record-high beef prices, those complaints have grown. The beef packing industry in the United States is dominated by four large packers, prompting complaints of monopolistic behavior.

President Donald Trump angered local ranchers when he vowed to increase beef imports from Argentina last month in an attempt to drive down prices for consumers. They noted that the nation’s cattle supply is at its lowest point since the 1950s, and importing beef would be a disincentive to rebuilding the nation’s herd.

But they’re more appreciative of the president’s recent move against the beef packers. Trump asked the Department of Justice this month to investigate the big-four packing companies for potentially driving up the price of beef by collusion, price fixing and manipulating beef prices.