Date: Thursday, December 21, 2017 - 8:00am

Contact Info: Public Affairs Office

Release No: 151-17

64.5 billion pounds of fruit and vegetables, and 44.4 billion eggs graded/inspected domestically

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21, 2017--The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today announced the agency facilitated the export of more than $3.8 billion of American produced agricultural products in Fiscal Year 2017 through its Export Verification (EV), grading and classing programs. 

In a major victory for U.S. beef producers, AMS export certification programs were a key component in the reopening of the market for U.S. beef exports to China for the first time in 13 years. Since mid-June, U.S. beef exports to the world’s most populous nation have already totaled more than 3.4 million pounds valued at $17.2 million.

“American agricultural companies compete worldwide, and I am incredibly proud of the role that the Agricultural Marketing Service plays to support the jobs these businesses create across the country,” said Greg Ibach, Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs. “Every day they provide the agriculture industry valuable services with the integrity and customer focus Secretary Perdue expects of all USDA staff to ensure the quality and availability of wholesome food for consumers across the country.”

A new infographic highlights AMS accomplishments in 2017 in support of American farmers, ranchers and businesses.

Other agricultural products inspected or certified by AMS for export last year include 145.3 million metric tons of U.S. grains and 1.6 billion shell eggs. AMS issued over 44,000 export certificates for American dairy farmers, producers and exporters contributing to the $5.3 billion in milk and dairy exports from the United States in 2017. The Pre-Export Check program issued over 13,000 certificates for 583 million pounds of U.S. almonds, worth $1.7 billion, destined for sale in the European Union.

Domestically, AMS staff graded or inspected 20.9 billion pounds of beef, 75.1 million pounds of lamb, 27.5 million pounds of veal/calf, 7.5 billion pounds of poultry, 44.4 billion shell eggs, 1 billion pounds of butter, 12.5 billion pounds of processed fruit and vegetable products, and 52 billion pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables.  The AMS Cotton Program is on course to classify samples from over 20 million bales by the end of the current season in June 2018.

AMS supported USDA’s National School Lunch Program with purchases of over 1.6 billion pounds of food, including fruits, vegetables, meats and grains. Agency staff also inspected over 223 million servings of military combat rations to help ensure the quality of meals prepared for American troops. 

In 2017, the agency initiated nearly $1 million in new public/private cooperative research agreements and workshops aimed at improving transportation infrastructure for agricultural exporters. This work will enable transportation planners, providers, and customers at the federal, state, and local levels to improve shipping infrastructure for U.S. exports from rural America to international markets. 

Learn more about AMS’ role in bringing quality food and agricultural goods to American homes and support for agricultural exports by U.S. farmers and ranchers at www.ams.usda.gov.

Posted by William Francis, AMS, Acting Director, Dairy Grading and Standardization in Food and Nutrition

Nov 01, 2017

New Agricultural Marketing Service infographic gives you a snapshot about butter grading, types and uses. (Click to enlarge)

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.

Butter is made by churning—or stirring—milk or cream until it reaches a semisolid state and is separated from buttermilk. By law, butter must be at least 80 percent butterfat. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS), each person in the United States consumed about 5.7 pounds of butter in 2016.

Today, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service is releasing a new infographic that gives you a snapshot about butter grading, types and uses.

For example, did you know that there are 30 USDA butter graders across the country who typically taste about 200 samples of butter each week to ensure the quality of this dairy product, which USDA has graded since 1919.

So, if you plan to use butter in your recipes, this infographic will give you a quick look at the various types of butter—salted, unsalted, whipped and clarified—and suggest how best to store butter until you need it.

Matthew Siedschlaw, one of 30 USDA butter graders, uses a “trier” to remove a sample of butter which will be tested to ensure it meets the national uniform quality standards for Grade AA butter. (USDA photo)

Date: Wednesday, December 20, 2017 - 1:00pm

Contact Info: Peter Wood

Release No.: 142-17

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2017 - Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue today announced the appointment of 27 members to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board. Twenty-five of the appointees will serve three-year terms. Two appointees will serve the remaining one-year portion of vacant positions.

• Bruce T. Jackson, Lockesburg, Ark.
•  J. Kent Bamford, Haxton, Colo.
• Cliff W. Coddington, Bradenton, Fla.
• Jared Brackett, Filer, Idaho
• Phil Perry, Oskaloosa, Kan.
• Trista Brown Priest, Satanta, Kan.
• Ryan Miller, Bardstown, Ky.
• Leon James, Hurdland, Mo.
• Turk Stovall, Billings, Mont.
• Katie Cooper, Willow Creek, Mont.
• Bill Baldwin, Mitchell, Neb.
• Jim Eschliman, Ericson, Neb.
• Raymond Erbele, Streeter, N.D.
• Blayne Arthur, Stillwater, Okla.
• Jimmy Taylor, Cheyenne, Okla.
• Dick McElhaney, Hookstown, Pa.
• Bill Slovek, Philip, S.D.
• Jackie White Means, Van Horn, Texas
• Jason Peeler, Floresville, Texas
• Michael Wayne White, Vernon, Texas
• Sean P. Jones, Massey, Md., Mid-Atlantic Unit
• Rob Von Der Lieth, Copperopolis, Calif., Southwest Unit
• Laurie Bryant, Burke, Va., Importer
• Rob Williams, Chase, Md., Importer
• Jeffrey Isenmann, Rochester Hills, Mich., Importer
• Nicholas Brander, Wilmette, Ill., Importer (1-year term)
• Steven Hobbs, Larkspur, Colo., Importer (1-year term)

“The Cattlemen's Beef Board works to build demand for beef by helping to maintain and expand markets through their research, promotion, and information sharing efforts,” said Perdue. “Their work represents all segments of the beef industry and I know that the agricultural sector will be well served by them."

The Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board is composed of 99 members, all of whom are beef producers or importers of cattle, beef or beef products. The board is authorized by the Beef Promotion and Research Act of 1985.

Since 1966, Congress has authorized the establishment of 22 industry-funded research and promotion boards.  They empower farmers and ranchers to leverage their own resources to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets, and conduct important research and promotion activities. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Services provides oversight, paid for by industry assessments, which ensures fiscal accountability and program integrity for participating stakeholders.

A list of board members is available on the AMS Cattlemen's Beef Board webpage. More information can also be found on the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board’s website.

Get the latest Agricultural Marketing Service news at www.ams.usda.gov/news or follow us on Twitter @USDA_AMS. You can also read about us on the USDA blog.

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Date: December 5, 2017

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced today that it is updating the voluntary U.S. Standards for Grades of Carcass Beef. USDA quality grades are used by companies to provide information to purchasers about meat’s tenderness, juiciness, and flavor and are a major factor in determining the value of beef and live cattle.

This update to the standards will provide companies using the USDA grading program with additional options – dentition or age documentation – to establish the maturity of animals and ensure that cattle 30 months old, or less, are included in the youngest maturity group recognized as “beef” (A maturity). Skeletal and muscular evidence will still be used to determine maturity for those animals over 30 months of age.

This change for voluntary beef grading activities will be implemented on Monday, Dec. 18, 2017. Companies using the USDA voluntary grading program must do the following prior to Monday, Dec. 18, 2017:

1)     Provide documentation to the AMS Supervisor and Graders describing how carcasses over 30 months of age (MOA) are identified and segregated within the plant.  AMS will review these procedures either during routine QSA audits or during supervisory visits.

         a.      Plants with a Quality Systems Assessment (QSA) program (e.g., for Export Verification) will provide the applicable section from their quality manual which details this process.

         b.     Plants without a QSA program will document their process through a Standard Operating Procedure or similar document.

2)     Ensure the AMS Supervisor and Graders are aware of how carcasses over 30 MOA are identified/marked.  The carcasses must be identified in a manner that allows the AMS Grader to easily see the identification when presented for grading.

On Monday, Dec. 18, 2017, companies may only offer carcasses for initial quality and/or yield grading.  No carcasses shall be presented for grading that were held as regrades from the previous week.  These requirements are included in QAD 500 - Beef, Bullock, and Bull Grading Methods and Procedures.

AMS will hold a conference call with industry at Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern.  The toll-free conference line is (888) 844-9904; access code 2887241.

If you have questions, please contact Joel Gottlieb, National Meat Supervisor, at Joel.Gottlieb@ams.usda.gov (202) 253-1379 or Dana Stahl, Grading Branch Chief, at Dana.Stahl@ams.usda.gov or (202) 690-3169.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender