Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced a pilot program to allow more cattle producers and meat processors to access better markets through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s official beef quality grading and certification.
The Remote Grading Pilot for Beef, developed by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, matches simple technology with robust data management and program oversight to allow a USDA grader to assess beef carcass characteristics and assign the official quality grade from a remote location, reducing costs and location as barriers to participation in voluntary grading services.
Secretary Vilsack announced the new pilot during a panelist discussion with livestock producers and independent meat processing business owners in conjunction with the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colo.
In this pilot, trained plant employees capture specific images of the live animal and beef carcass. These images are submitted electronically to a USDA grader already stationed elsewhere in the U.S., likely located in another rural community, who reviews the images and accompanying plant records and product data, assigns the USDA Quality Grade and applicable carcass certification programs, and communicates the official grade back to the plant to be applied to the carcass.
Plants can then use this information in their retail marketing and transmit carcass performance information back to producers.
USDA news release
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