USDA to Host Educational Event at USDA Cattle & Carcass Training Center

On Thursday, December 17, 2026, USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will host an in-person event at the Cattle and Carcass Training Center (CCTC) located at West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) in Canyon, Texas. The event is open to the public and will focus on the grading and marketing of feeder cattle. Participants will have the opportunity to view the latest data-analytic dashboards developed by AMS, hear from subject matter experts on feeder cattle evaluation and marketing, participate in live feeder cattle evaluation, and have the opportunity to view AMS's prototype for GrAider - Live, a Super Intelligence Model that uses advanced imagery to apply USDA Feeder Cattle Grades to live animals.

Although anyone may attend the events, they are designed for cattle producers, feeders, and other stakeholders seeking to better understand conventional marketing, the factors that influence cattle value, and how these factors can guide marketing and production decisions.

Pre-registration is required for the event, which is free and open to the public. Information about the event, including how to pre-register, is on the AMS website.

The 2018 Farm Bill directed USDA to establish the CCTCs to conduct activities that limit subjectivity in the application of cattle and beef grading standards, provide producers with a greater understanding of the value of their cattle, and provide investors more confidence in the CME cattle delivery system.

###

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.