Grazing cattle are not an uncommon sight in South Dakota. Ranching has long been a part of our way of life, and we take our beef seriously. But when you go to the grocery store, you can’t determine if the beef you’re buying is from the ranch down the road or from another country. You can look at the label on your shirt to find out where it’s from, but why don’t we label the beef we eat?

I’m a longtime supporter of mandatory country of origin labeling or MCOOL for beef. American beef producers — in South Dakota and across the country — work hard to produce high-quality beef. Many consumers would prefer to know whether the package of ground beef or steak that they’re buying is an American product. Requiring a country of origin label would provide transparency that benefits both consumers and producers.

I supported provisions in both the 2002 and 2008 farm bills that required MCOOL for beef. Unfortunately, in 2015, the World Trade Organization struck down America’s labeling requirements. Since then, I’ve worked with many of my colleagues in Congress and successive administrations to restore country of origin labeling for beef. While I appreciate recent U.S. Department of Agriculture changes limiting the voluntary “Product of the USA” label to beef born, raised, slaughtered and processed in the United States, there is still more work to be done.

I recently reintroduced the American Beef Labeling Act, which would require the U.S. trade representative and the secretary of agriculture to develop a WTO-compliant means of reinstating mandatory country of origin labeling for beef. My bipartisan bill would require the USTR to have a reinstatement plan in place within six months and implement it within the following six months. If a year passes without MCOOL being reinstated, it would be automatically restored.

South Dakota beef producers will have a friend at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the Trump administration. President Trump’s choice for secretary of agriculture, Brooke Rollins, grew up on a family-run farm. She understands the needs of farmers and ranchers, and I was pleased that she expressed a willingness in her confirmation hearing to work with me to reinstate MCOOL for beef.

South Dakota agriculture producers work hard every day to produce high-quality food and fuel for America and the world. They deserve fair and transparent markets to sell the fruits of their labor. I will continue to work to keep America’s farms and ranches strong.