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USDA Meat, Poultry and Egg Quality Grades Can Help Guide Your Summer Menu Choices

June 08, 2023 Jennifer Porter, Deputy Administrator, AMS Livestock and Poultry Program

As the warm weather approaches, so do days spent outside firing up the grill with friends and family. The month of May kicked off grilling season and whether you are shopping in the grocery store, or doing an online pickup order, there is one easy way to be assured that you’re getting what you paid...

Health and Safety

Shopping Online? Look for the USDA Grade Shield

August 18, 2020 Jennifer Porter, Deputy Administrator, AMS Livestock and Poultry Program

Whether you are shopping online or in the grocery store, the USDA grade shield on meat, poultry and eggs is a sign that the product meets certain voluntary national quality standards and has been graded by an USDA employee based on those standards.

Food and Nutrition

Get Grilling with USDA Grade A Chicken

August 28, 2019 Robert Paschal, USDA Grader, AMS

With so many choices in the grocery aisle, looking for the USDA Grade A shield on your poultry is an easy way to pick out the chicken with consistent and verified quality.

Health and Safety

Stand Up Your Holiday Feast with a Tasty Rib Roast

December 12, 2018 Jennifer Porter, Deputy Administrator, Livestock & Poultry Program

December is filled with holiday observances and family gatherings, many highlighted by a seasonal feast. While the centerpiece for these feasts is as diverse as our nation, beef is a popular choice, particularly the standing rib roast, a traditional favorite. Last holiday season, the standing rib...

Food and Nutrition Health and Safety

AMS Sets the Gold Standard for Cotton

May 24, 2018 Darryl Earnest, Deputy Administrator, AMS Cotton & Tobacco Program and Jimmy Knowlton, Director, AMS Cotton and Tobacco Program, Standardization and Engineering Division

Despite its relatively small size and location in Memphis, Tennessee, the Agricultural Marketing Service, Standardization & Engineering Division (S&E) within the USDA Cotton & Tobacco Program (C&T) plays a giant role in both the U.S. and international cotton marketing systems.

Trade

New Infographic Spreads the Word about Butter Grading

November 01, 2017 William Francis, AMS, Acting Director, Dairy Grading and Standardization

It’s the time of year when many of us start thinking about holiday baking and cooking. Whether it’s roasting a turkey with all the trimmings for Thanksgiving dinner or batches of cookies and other baked goods to share with loved ones, butter is often a key ingredient in our favorite recipes.

Food and Nutrition

Check the Label and Bring it to the Table – USDA Grade Labels Explained

June 29, 2017 Craig A. Morris, Deputy Administrator of the AMS Livestock, Poultry, and Seed Program

Summer heat, sizzling grills, and a night sky filled with fireworks - here comes Fourth of July! I really love this time of year. It’s another opportunity to grill up a feast to share with my family and friends. It is also a great time to share my knowledge about the USDA grade shields!

Food and Nutrition

USDA Graded Cage-Free Eggs: All They're Cracked Up To Be

September 13, 2016 Craig A. Morris, Deputy Administrator of the AMS Livestock, Poultry, and Seed Program

When it comes to purchasing eggs, consumers have interests that go well beyond what they see in the carton. For many buyers, where that egg came from and how it was produced are just as important as the finished product. Organic, locally produced, cage-free, and free range are just a few of the...

Food and Nutrition

Knowledge at Your Fingertips Makes Every Penny Count

September 06, 2016 Larry Mitchell, Administrator, Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration

America is a nation blessed by agricultural bounty. Unfortunately, that blessing comes with price-suppressing surpluses being the norm for most of the past century with occasional periods of short stocks, and temporary prosperity for the nation’s grain farmers. Margins are tight and every penny...

Research and Science

USDA Market News Reporters Know Beef

August 05, 2016 Craig A. Morris, AMS Livestock, Poultry, and Seed Program Deputy Administrator

The United States is the largest beef producer and one of the largest beef exporters in the world. In order to remain competitive, our Nation’s beef producers and everyone else in the supply chain need reliable data to evaluate market conditions, identify trends, make purchasing decisions, and...

Trade
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