Docket Number: AMS-TM-23-0066

Summary

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announces the availability of the Final Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the AMS Local Meat Capacity Grant Program.

Contact

Betsy Rakola, Associate Deputy Administrator, Transportation and Marketing Program; Telephone: (202) 690–1300; Email: LocalMCap@usda.gov.

Supporting Document

AMS will provide a Public Zoom webinar (registration required) to introduce the USDA Remote Grading Pilot for Beef. Key staff from the AMS Livestock and Poultry Program will provide an overview of the pilot, its purpose, eligibility requirements, and how to contact AMS about participation.

Thursday, January 25, 2024 @ 3PM ET RGP Pilot Informational Webinar

Register in advance for this webinar

Peanuts 64 FR 20105: Peanut Promotion, Research, and Information Order: 07/29/1999

On November 8, 2023, USDA announced its intent to clarify that meat products must be from animals that are born, raised, and slaughtered in the U.S. to meet the domestic origin requirements for purposes of USDA purchasing. AMS procures food products of domestic origin for use in nutrition assistance programs and regularly evaluates the effectiveness of its food purchase programs. Upon review, the guidelines for procuring beef, pork, lamb, and bison products were not as clear as other commodities.

For more information on USDA Meat Grading Service eligibility, participation requirements for the RGP Pilot, and how to get started, refer to the RGP Pilot Guide to Getting Started (pdf)

For the purposes of the RGP Pilot, the following document will serve to guide the roles are responsibilities of the Applicant and USDA.

Before contacting the AMS Livestock and Poultry Program (AMS-LP) about RGP Pilot participation, it is important to understand what official quality grading and certification is and consider whether these voluntary fee-based services are applicable to your meat packing operation and how they may benefit your marketing objectives. The following resources may assist with these considerations:

Law: Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946

In January 2024, USDA launched a pilot program to explore a new method of service delivery to beef packers. Matching imaging technology with robust data management and program oversight, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) developed a process for determining the official quality grading and certification of carcass beef remotely.