USDA Establishes UNL Cattle and Carcass Grading Correlation Center

The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced that the University of Nebraska-Lincoln would be the site of one of three regional Cattle and Carcass Grading Correlation Training Centers on Wednesday.

West Texas A&M University and Colorado State University join Nebraska as the other regional sites.

Also known as Cattle and Carcass Training Centers or Training Centers, the sites will foster collaboration between industry and academia and provide educational and training opportunities to stakeholders interested in the official quality grading of feeder cattle, fed cattle, and beef carcasses in the United States.

"This partnership with the USDA gives us an opportunity to provide cattle producers in Nebraska and throughout the region with great educational resources on grading cattle and beef carcass merit," said Ty Schmidt, Associate Professor of Meat Science and Muscle Biology.

"It provides our stakeholders with a larger network of information to assist them in making the best choices for their operations."

The Nebraska training center will host an event targeted to producers, feeders, and other stakeholders who want a better understanding of the factors that contribute to the market value of cattle on June 15-16 showcasing technology used in the meat and livestock industries. Speakers from the USDA, the university, and the CME Group will share their knowledge and offer information covering a wide range of topics related to CME live cattle specifications and deliveries. AMS will also provide updates on the USDA’s supply chain initiatives, including an overview of USDA’s Meat and Poultry Processing Capacity Technical Assistance Program (MPPTA), which ensures that participants in USDA’s meat and poultry supply chain initiatives can access full-range technical assistance to support their project development and success.

The two-day event is free and open to the public but will be first come, first served, and limited to 75 participants. Those interested in attending are asked to pre-register for the event at https://www.ams.usda.gov/event/meat-livestock-technology-and-cme-acceptance-training-university-nebraska