Anthony Thomas sells ground beef for $10 a pound at the Old Katy Farmers Market, well above the grocery store price. His sales tripled in the week after President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on tariffs for imported beef.

Thomas, owner of Fulshear-based Thomas Cattle & Catering, told FOX 26 Houston on Aug. 25 that the announcement drove a surge of new customers to his farm-to-table operation. He called the import policy a band-aid, saying it was "more of a band-aid rather than a fix to the problem that we have with our beef industry in the United States."

Trump announced the tariff waiver on Aug. 21. The policy removes out-of-quota tariffs, normally 26.4%, on up to 300,000 metric tons of imported lean beef trimmings for 90 days, according to Drovers. The White House said the imported beef would be sold at 25% below current market prices. A formal executive order had not yet been signed as of the announcement.

The move comes as beef prices climb nationwide. Beef and veal prices rose 9.4% year-over-year, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data cited by ABC News. The U.S. cattle herd has shrunk to its smallest size since the 1950s, driven by years of drought, high feed costs and herd liquidation, according to Drovers.

That squeeze is part of what makes Thomas's premium possible. As of July, the national average for ground beef was $6.88 per pound, according to the Beef Price Tracker. At a Houston-area H-E-B, KPRC 2 found the lowest price was $5.99.

Thomas told KPRC 2 that traceability keeps his customers coming back. "One pound of ground beef can come from 400 different animals when you buy it through a grocery store chain," he said. "There's no actual traceability of where that beef is coming from."

The U.S. Cattlemen's Association (USCA) opposed the waiver. USCA President Justin Tupper said in a statement that the move would weaken markets and gamble with food safety. The Texas Farm Bureau and the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association both cautioned that increasing imports is not a long-term answer, according to FOX 26. Thomas said rebuilding a herd takes about two years per animal.

Thomas isn't alone.

Ray Law, owner of Law Ranch and Cattle Company in East Harris County, told KPRC 2 he has seen the same shift in consumer thinking toward knowing where beef comes from. The 90-day waiver runs through approximately Nov. 19.