Technology Assists in Packing Plants

LIME SPRINGS, Iowa (DTN) -- New technology could help beef packers achieve more consistent quality grading and deal with ongoing labor issues as well. The use of camera grading in beef processing of beef isn't new, but the actual type of camera being used could make a difference to packers.

Ed Greiman, general manager of Upper Iowa Beef in Lime Springs, Iowa, said remote grading could be beneficial at his plant because of its size and location. "We currently harvest 480 head of cattle per day and investing in the large stationary camera grader isn't feasible for us," he said. "The remote camera grader would allow us to have more than one person trained to use the technology, which would allow the USDA employees in our plant to be doing other inspections."

Greiman has served on a committee made up of representatives from USDA, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and the packing industry to discuss and test the technology. Two different types of technology are available to use this remote-type grading, but the two have similar size equipment to use. This is a lot more compact and user friendly for smaller plants and lockers.

At the Upper Iowa Beef plant, the MEQ (Meat Evaluation Quotient) equipment is being utilized. This system is currently in approval trials. USDA will continue to run approval trials to be sure the technology can work properly and have a way to be audited for accuracy.

Upper Iowa Beef team members such as Process Control Supervisor Christina Speicher have been trained on how to operate the equipment and the plant is currently collecting data to compare to the current USDA grader's official information.

Speicher said the app is easy to use and makes sure you have the entire ribeye on the camera screen and that it is in focus before a photo is taken. The carcass identification number is entered first; following that is the scan of the ribeye to measure ribeye area, marbling, and fat thickness. If the carcass has a condition to cause it to fall out of the window of a normal grade, the trained operator can then review the carcass, identify the proper grade, and mark the carcass correctly.

Attributes that may cause a carcass to fall outside a normal grade include a hard-bone maturity, a dark cutter, or a blood shot on the face of the ribeye. The hope is that this technology will be approved soon to provide plants like Upper Iowa Beef with a seamless way to get fast, accurate measurements, and also provide continued grading capabilities in case of an absent employee.

REMOTE GRADING PROGRAM IS NOW PERMANENT

Yet another program, originally introduced as a pilot program in January 2024, has now been made into a permanent program. This is the USDA Remote Grading Program for Beef. This program helps increase marketing opportunities for beef producers at smaller, local processing facilities. The program allows a USDA meat grader to assign grades from a remote location using data captured by a handheld camera and sent to a central location. "If you could envision it, imagine like the NFL or NBA, but with a grader sitting in front of a screen monitoring several packing plants," Greiman said. "They send the grade back to the plant within 24 hours."

At the program's launch, then Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said, "On average, a beef carcass that grades as USDA Prime is valued at hundreds of dollars more than an ungraded carcass, but costs for this voluntary USDA service often prevents smaller scale processors from using this tool. This remote grading pilot opens the door for additional packers and processors to receive grading and certification services allowing them to access new, better, and more diverse marketing opportunities."

NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane also commented that the association viewed the pilot program as an opportunity for local processing facilities to increase marketing opportunities for meat grading to occur at these smaller processing facilities and capture more value for their products.

In January 2025, the program was switched over to a permanent program for plants without enough volume to utilize a full-time grading employee on site. Staff at these plants are trained to prepare beef carcasses for USDA grading and collect images of the parts of the carcass typically evaluated by a USDA grader.

According to the USDA, this dramatically reduces the travel expenses related to USDA grading, making these services available for better marketing opportunities of beef in places it hasn't been in the past. The Agricultural Marketing Service division of USDA has oversight of the program to maintain the integrity of the beef grading. Currently, nearly 60 beef plants are signed up to use the Remote Grading Program, with applications available if more plants want to use the technology.

With workforce continually being a challenge, Greiman said technology like remote grading can help plants like Upper Iowa Beef expand.

"We started out in 2017 with processing 25 head per day, and now process (nearly) 500 head per day," he added. "The use of technology in all parts of our plant allows us to provide a service to our area beef producers and lets them grow with us."

The long-term objective for plants like Upper Iowa Beef using the grading technology is for it to become the standard and be used by properly trained staff. "Auditors would be passing through a plant or even watching on screens in an office in Washington, D.C., or wherever, to make sure there is consistency in the grading," Greiman added.

Greiman said cattlemen want to be reassured they are getting paid for what their cattle are under the hide and these technologies could be the answer to market beef by carcass quality at all levels.

Jennifer Carrico can be reached at jennifer.carrico@dtn.com

Follow her on social platform X @JennCattleGal

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