The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that it is collaborating with industry and academia to establish three regional USDA Cattle & Carcass Grading Correlation Training Centers. The centers will educate and train stakeholders across the country on grading feeder cattle, fed cattle and beef carcasses.

“USDA provides grading services that support the U.S. beef industry’s ability to efficiently market high-quality products,” USDA marketing and regulatory programs undersecretary Greg Ibach said. “Thanks to the creation of these training centers through the farm bill, we can connect producers directly with USDA experts who conduct these services to provide a better understanding of the grading system, bolster their confidence in the prices they receive and reinforce their assurance in the transparent cattle delivery system.”

USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, which provides USDA’s voluntary beef cattle and carcass grading services, has signed agreements with three partners to strategically place the USDA Cattle & Carcass Grading Correlation Training Centers in locations that represent regional variances in U.S. cattle production.

The first center has been established at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas; the second at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Colo., and the third at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Neb.