USDA Requests Comments on Beef Grade Standards

Sep 10, 2026

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking input from the public and industry stakeholders on how the U.S. beef grade standards could be updated to better serve the needs of beef producers, packers, wholesalers, volume food buyers, retailers, and consumers. AMS was asked by the American Wagyu Association to review the grade standards and explore potential revisions.

On July 8, 2026, AMS published a Request for Information (RFI) in the Federal Register seeking comments on the beef grade standards with a 60-day comment period that ends on September 8, 2026. AMS received an industry request to extend the comment period by an additional 90 days. AMS is honoring this request, so comments can now be submitted through December 7, 2026. The Beef Standards Notice Comment Extension is available here: Federal Register - United States Standards for Grades of Carcass Beef (Extension of Comment Period)

Source : usda.gov

Video: ASF Control Lessons - Dr. Mary-Louise Penrith

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Dr. Mary-Louise Penrith, Extraordinary Professor at the University of Pretoria, shares what decades of work have revealed about ASF control. She explains why vaccine development remains difficult, how human activity and food waste drive disease spread, why resistant pig populations are an important research area, and how strict biosecurity with the right disinfectants can help to stop transmission. Listen now on all major platforms!

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Meet the guest: Dr. Mary-Louise Penrith / mary-louise-penrith-2b12bb42 is an Extraordinary Professor in the Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. A veterinarian and internationally recognized researcher, she has dedicated decades to African swine fever epidemiology, control, and pig health, supporting FAO and WOAH initiatives while advancing research and education. Listen to Dr. Mary-Louise Penrith on the Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, available on all major platforms.