Educational events on tap at USDA Cattle and Carcass Training Centers, New Facility in Nebraska introduced

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 24, 2023 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will host three educational events focused on animal handling and its effects on the quality, yield, and market value of cattle, the CME live cattle specifications, and emerging technology in the cattle industry as part of its ongoing outreach conducted by the USDA Cattle and Carcass Training Centers (Training Center). One of the events will be hosted by the newly established Training Center at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln in Lincoln, Neb. While anyone can attend the events, they are targeted to producers, feeders, and other stakeholders who want a better understanding of factors that contribute to the market value of cattle, and how these factors can inform marketing and production decisions.

The first event will be hosted by Colorado State University on March 28 – 30, 2023, and will focus on animal handling and its effects on quality and yield factors with several live cattle demonstrations. Guest speakers include representatives from USDA, Colorado State University, and the CME Group, along with industry analysts, cattle buyers, and keynote speaker Dr. Temple Grandin.

The second event will be hosted by West Texas A&M University on May 17 – 18, 2023, and will focus on how cattle and beef are evaluated by USDA for quality and yield, how these factors play into CME specifications for cattle deliveries and beef carcass certification, and the relationship between cattle production practices, the USDA grading and acceptance process, and producer prices.

The third event will be hosted by the University of Nebraska – Lincoln on June 15 – 16, 2023, and will focus on a wide range of topics related to emerging technology in the livestock and meat industries, and CME live cattle and carcass specifications and deliveries.

At all three events, AMS will provide an overview of USDA’s Meat and Poultry Processing Capacity Technical Assistance Program, which ensures that participants in USDA’s supply chain initiatives can access technical assistance to support their project development.

The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Farm Bill) directed USDA to establish the Training Centers to conduct activities that limit subjectivity in the application of beef grading standards, provide producers with a greater understanding of the value of their cattle, and provide investors more confidence in the cattle delivery system.

Pre-registration is required for the events, which are free and open to the public. Information about these events, including how to pre-register, is on the AMS website.

Source: USDA

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