USDA Launches Pilot to Help More Processors Access High-Value Beef Grading

DENVER, Colo., Jan. 19, 2024 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced a pilot program to allow more cattle producers and meat processors to access better markets through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) official beef quality grading and certification. The Remote Grading Pilot for Beef, developed by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), matches simple technology with robust data management and program oversight to allow a USDA grader to assess beef carcass characteristics and…

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Biden-Harris Administration’s Wildland Fire Mitigation

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2023 – Today, the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission released its report outlining a comprehensive, consensus-based set of recommendations to Congress to address the nation’s wildfire crisis. The Commission, created by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and announced in December 2021, was charged with making recommendations to Congress to improve federal policies related to the mitigation, suppression and management of wildland fires in the United States, and the rehabilitation of land devastated by wildland fires.…

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New USDA Study on Consumer Kitchen Behavior Underscores the Importance of Food Safety Education Month

Lack of Handwashing Continues to be a Concern WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is releasing during Food Safety Education Month the results from the final year of a five-year study that observed how consumers prepared meals. The study was produced by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) as part of their efforts to highlight the importance of safe food handling practices.“These studies are important for USDA to…

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Mark Your Calendars: USDA Announces Date for the 100th Agricultural Outlook Forum

USDA’s 100th Annual Agricultural Outlook Forum, “Cultivating the Future” will take place on February 15-16, 2024, at the Crystal City Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia. The forum is USDA’s longest-running and largest public event and aims to help our stakeholders understand and plan for the opportunities and challenges facing the agricultural sector at home and abroad. Each year it attracts more than 1,800 people in person, and nearly 5,000 virtual attendees from the U.S.…

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