Content by Christina Bakker

USDA Choice ribeye steaks on display at a grocery store.

USDA Beef Quality Grades: What do they mean?

A large portion of beef sold at retail is accompanied by a USDA quality grade label. Learn how quality grades are determined, what they mean, and how they can be used to select the perfect cut for your purposes.

Two pork loins on a butcher counter. One is being cut into quarter-inch pork chops.

How to Cut a Boneless Pork Loin

This article will walk you through the different ways to cut a pork loin into more-manageable cuts and how to package and store what you’re not going to eat right away.

Beef carcass prepped for evaluation in a meat lab.

Growth Promotant Technologies: Impact on Beef Production and Meat Quality - Research

A study conducted by SDSU researchers evaluated the impact additive combinations of growth-promotant technologies can have on beef carcass characteristics and tenderness.

Black angus cattle in a feedlot.

Growth Promotant Technologies: Impact on Beef Production and Meat Quality - Background

It is well documented that growth promotant technologies can increase pounds of beef produced while reducing input costs and resource use. But what impacts do these technologies have on beef production and meat quality?

Woman with tablet examining ground beef at a grocery store.

What’s the Beef With Ground Beef?

Unpack some of the common myths about the appearance, quality and processing of store-bought ground beef products.

Hand holding meat thermometer to check the doneness of grilled steaks.

Summer Grilling Safety Tips

With the first taste of warm weather comes the itch to get out and grill! Before you fire up the grill this season, here are a few reminders on grilling and food safety.

Several portions of ground beef being inspected at a meat processing facility.

Ground Beef Basics

Fact sheet on navigating regulations and misconceptions of ground beef.

Strip steaks on grill with meat thermometers properly inserted through the side of the cuts.

Meat: Safe Handling and Consumption

From the grocery store to your plate, learn some important food safety considerations for handling, preparing, and enjoying meat!

Three ribeye steaks on a cutting board.

Building a Meat Processing Facility

This decision tool is designed for those interested in entering the meat industry.

Producers cutting meat with a band saw.

Expanded Meat and Poultry Processing Resources Available to S.D. Livestock Producers and Meat Processors

The USDA's commitment to creating a more-resilient meat and poultry processing system is making new opportunities for rancher-owned enterprises, worker-owned housing and other cooperative initiatives.