Mobile app streamlines producer access to Remote Grading Program for Beef
USDA says the mobile app help customers will experience more secure image submissions, fewer upload mistakes, clearer status visibility and reliable tracking of assigned carcass grades.
In June 2026, the US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) launched a mobile app to support easier access to the Remote Grading Program for Beef (RGP).
The RGP provides processors with access to USDA beef grades (Prime, Choice and Select) at a lower cost than traditional onsite graders. The RGP utilizes mobile app imaging, supported by data management and oversight, to assess carcass characteristics remotely and assign official grades. According to AMS, with the new app, customers will experience more secure image submissions, fewer upload mistakes, clearer status visibility and reliable tracking of assigned carcass grades.
Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Dudley Hoskins noted that, while more than 90% of fed beef is officially graded by USDA, mostly at larger plants, the RGP extends those market benefits, particularly to small processors, by providing lower-cost grading services that afford them access to new markets using USDA grades like Prime, Choice, and Select.
Hoskins said, “This new app is another enhancement supporting producers and processors participating in the program with improved responsiveness, streamlined workflows, and assurance grading services remain accurate and reliable. Programs like RGP and its continued improvements reflect USDA’s commitment to expand opportunities for producers to market their high-quality American beef.”
Since its 2024 launch, the RGP has registered 88 facilities, many of which are considered small or very small, in 32 states. Most plants received grades within 24 hours of submission. USDA emphasizes that farmers and ranchers also benefit from having official USDA quality grades, which allow them to use this information in direct-to-consumer markets, or to use carcass data to continue improving genetics, growth and quality.
Source: USDA AMS
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