Commissioner of Agriculture Kate Greenberg attended a Roundtable hosted by the United States Department of Agriculture and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack at the CSU SPUR campus in Denver on January 19, 2024.
The Roundtable focused on the recent announcement of a pilot program to allow more cattle producers and meat processors to access better markets through the USDA’s official beef quality grading and certification and balances the need for production with the opportunity for small and midsize businesses to stay in business.
“Secretary Vilsack continues to drive transformative investments in American agriculture to foster a more prosperous and resilient future for all. Today’s announcement will offer Colorado’s beef producers and processors more opportunities to find processing options that best meet their operation’s unique needs.
As the Secretary has noted, the United States continues to lose farmers at an alarming rate. Farmers, ranchers, and all who work in agriculture are the backbone of our economy, communities, and food system. More farmers means more opportunity across rural and urban communities.
In Colorado, we are growing local and regional food systems, expanding market diversification and access for producers of all scales, leveraging the leadership of farmers and ranchers to tackle climate change and build resilience, and creating new opportunities for the next generation of agriculture.”
For more information about the Remote Grading Pilot for Beef program, visit www.ams.usda.gov/remote-beef-grading.