USDA’s Remote Beef Grading Program Launches App

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) launched a new mobile app designed to make access to the Remote Grading Program for Beef (RGP) easier.  

The RGP provides processors with access to USDA beef grades (Prime, Choice and Select) at a lower cost than traditional onsite graders, said the agency. The program uses mobile app imaging, supported by data management and oversight, to assess carcass characteristics remotely and assign official grades that buyers and consumers use to signal quality.

The new app aims to deliver more secure image submissions, fewer upload mistakes, clearer status visibility and reliable tracking of assigned carcass grades, said USDA.

Since its launch, the RGP has registered 88 facilities — many considered small or very small — in 32 states. Most plants received grades within 24 hours of submission, the agency said.

“While more than 90% of fed beef is officially graded by USDA — predominantly at larger plants — the Remote Grading Program for Beef (RGP) extends those market benefits, especially to small processors, by providing low-cost grading services that afford them access to new markets using USDA grades like Prime, Choice and Select,” said Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Dudley Hoskins. “This new app is another enhancement supporting producers and processors participating in the program with improved responsiveness, streamlined workflows and assurance grading services remain accurate and reliable. Programs like RGP and its continued improvements reflect USDA’s commitment to expand opportunities for producers to market their high-quality American beef.”

For more information about the RGP for beef, visit https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/remote-beef-grading or contact Jodie Pitcock at Jodie.Pitcock@usda.gov or (816) 351-5152.