Matching imaging technology with robust data management and program oversight, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) developed a process for determining the official quality grading and certification of carcass beef from a remote location.
Official grades, including USDA Prime and USDA Choice, accurately communicate meat quality across the supply chain among producers, packers, processors, distributors, and consumers. While more than 90 percent of fed beef in the U.S. is officially graded, the service is almost exclusively used in larger packing operations. By eliminating most travel expenses incurred for retaining a USDA Grader at a packing facility, the Remote Grading Program for Beef (RGP) can dramatically reduce the overall cost of service for independent beef packers, in particular those who may only need five or even 50 carcasses graded at a time.
The RGP utilizes a cell phone camera to capture real-time images that a remote USDA grader uses to evaluate the carcass for its official quality grade. The images captured mirror what the USDA grader sees when physically present in the packing facility. AMS conducted initial testing in 2023, followed by a pilot phase in 2024, to engage a broad stakeholder audience in the program’s development. The pilot phase allowed AMS to gather additional information on actual costs and the level of surveillance necessary to ensure program integrity before formalizing this option as part of the USDA Meat Grading Service.
- USDA Remote Grading for Beef Overview (pdf)
- Video: USDA Remote Grading Process
- Video: USDA Remote Grading Process
- Official Plant List (Grading Service Locations)
Contacts
For general inquiries regarding the Remote Grading Program for Beef, contact the AMS Livestock and Poultry Program at AskLP@usda.gov.
Jodie Pitcock
Remote Grading Program Coordinator
USDA, AMS Livestock and Poultry Program
Jodie.Pitcock@usda.gov
816-351-5152