American Beef
American beef resources.
Know more. Ask questions. Verify for yourself.
Do not take anyone's word for it.
Buying directly from an American beef producer is a more personal way to buy your food, but that does not mean you should simply take someone's word for it.
We believe consumers should have access to reliable information and credible sources that help them understand American beef, cattle production, processing, inspection, labeling, and direct to consumer sales.
The resources below are some of the places we recommend when you want to go beyond a producer's website and learn more for yourself.
American Beef Direct is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any of these organizations.
Start with the source.
When it comes to food and agriculture, there is plenty of information online, and not all of it deserves equal weight. That is why we prefer primary sources whenever possible.
Government agencies, university extension programs, and established agricultural organizations can provide information that helps put what you are seeing on a producer's website into context.
USDA Agricultural Marketing Service
The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service is a valuable source for understanding agricultural markets, livestock pricing, grading, and the rules surrounding the marketing of meat and other agricultural products.
If you are wondering why beef prices are what they are, or want to understand the market conditions affecting cattle producers, this is one of the best places to start.
USDA Livestock, Poultry and Grain Market News
Want to see what cattle and beef are actually trading for?
USDA Market News publishes current and historical market reports covering livestock, including cattle and beef. The information can be technical, but it is valuable because it comes directly from the federal agency responsible for collecting and reporting agricultural market information.
If you want to understand the market behind the price you are paying, or the price a rancher receives, this is the place to look.
Understanding labels and inspection.
Some of the most important questions consumers have involve words on a beef package.
- What does Product of USA actually mean?
- What does USDA inspected mean?
- What is the difference between USDA and state inspection?
- What does a particular production claim actually require?
For those questions, go directly to the agencies responsible for establishing and enforcing the standards.
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is the federal agency responsible for ensuring the safety and labeling of meat, poultry, and egg products.
It is an important source for understanding meat inspection and labeling requirements, including what specific claims on beef packaging mean.
When you want to know what a label actually means, we would rather point you toward the agency responsible for the standard than ask you to rely on a blog post or social media explanation.
State meat and poultry inspection programs
Not every beef producer operates under the same inspection and distribution structure.
Some states operate their own meat and poultry inspection programs under federal oversight. These programs can allow qualifying producers to sell inspected products within their state while operating under that state's inspection requirements.
If a producer tells you its beef is processed at a state inspected facility, you can look up the meat inspection program in that state and learn what the program allows.
The best answer is always the one you can verify.
Your state department of agriculture
State departments of agriculture can be another valuable resource when you are researching a local producer or processor.
Depending on the state, these agencies may provide information about agricultural businesses, meat processors, licensing, inspection programs, direct marketing requirements, and other state specific regulations.
If you are buying beef from a producer in your state, this can be one of the most practical places to learn about the rules that apply where you live.
Local agriculture often has local rules.
Industry organizations.
Organizations representing cattle producers can provide valuable insight into how the beef industry operates and the issues affecting American cattle producers.
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association and state cattlemen's associations can be useful sources for information about cattle production, industry issues, producer concerns, and agricultural policy.
But it is important to understand the perspective behind the information.
These organizations represent cattle producers and the beef industry. They are not government regulators or independent referees.
That does not make their information less useful. It simply means you should understand who is speaking and whom they represent.
Cooperative Extension.
One of the best resources available to consumers is also one of the easiest to overlook.
Every state has access to land grant university research and Cooperative Extension programs that provide practical, educational information about agriculture and food production.
Extension resources can be particularly helpful if you are buying beef directly from a ranch for the first time. You can find practical guidance on subjects such as:
- Buying a quarter, half, or whole beef
- Understanding hanging and take home weights
- Selecting cuts
- Expected yields
- Freezer space
- Safe storage
- Beef preparation
- Local agricultural practices
- Direct to consumer beef purchasing
And much of this information is available free of charge. Search for your state's land grant university and Cooperative Extension, followed by beef or beef shares.
Good information does not have to come with a sales pitch.
How to check a producer for yourself.
You do not need to be an agricultural expert to ask good questions. In fact, some of the most important questions are remarkably simple.
Start with the producer's own website.
Read what the producer says about its operation, cattle, feeding practices, processing, and products. Then look at what the producer actually sells. A producer's current online store can tell you a great deal about the business.
Ask where the cattle come from.
Were they born and raised on the operation?
Were they purchased from other American producers?
Are they finished on grass, grain, or another feeding program?
There is not necessarily a right or wrong answer. The important thing is that you know the answer.
Ask where the beef is processed.
Find out the name of the processing facility and whether it operates under USDA or state inspection. If you are unsure what that means, verify it through the appropriate state or federal resources.
Look at the inspection information.
Inspected meat carries an inspection legend or mark indicating the applicable inspection authority. A legitimate producer selling inspected beef should be able to explain how its product is inspected and where that inspection occurs.
Look at the business itself.
You can search your state's business records to confirm that the operation is a registered business. You can also look for an established website, contact information, photographs of the operation, and evidence that the business actually raises and sells beef.
None of these things proves everything. But together, they can help you ask better questions.
What American Beef Direct verification means.
We believe transparency requires us to be just as clear about our own role as we are about the producers we feature.
American Beef Direct's verification process is designed to confirm that a producer meets the requirements of our registry. Our review focuses on whether the operation is an American family farm or ranch, raises the beef it sells, offers a direct to consumer purchasing option, uses inspected processing, and has a functioning means for consumers to learn about and purchase its products directly from the producer.
But verification is not certification.
- American Beef Direct is not the USDA.
- We do not inspect ranches.
- We do not inspect processing facilities.
- We do not certify organic, grass fed, grass finished, regenerative, or other production claims.
- We do not certify the quality or taste of a producer's beef.
- And we do not guarantee a producer's future practices or business performance.
Our verification means that, at the time of our review, the producer met the requirements for inclusion in the American Beef Direct registry.
We tell you what we verify, and we encourage you to ask the producer about everything else. That is what transparency looks like.
Do not just take our word for it.
The purpose of these resources is not to tell you what to think. It is to give you the tools to think for yourself.
- Read the producer's story.
- Ask questions.
- Look at the facts.
- Understand the terminology.
- Verify what matters to you.
- Then make your own decision.
That is the relationship we want American Beef Direct to help create, not a relationship where you trust us instead of the rancher, but one where you can get close enough to the source to make an informed choice for yourself.
Then go find your rancher.
There are American cattle producers raising beef in communities across the country.
- Different operations.
- Different cattle.
- Different feeding practices.
- Different products.
- Different prices.
- Different stories.
That is a good thing.
American Beef Direct exists to make those producers easier to find and easier for consumers to get to know.
Explore the registry. Learn their stories. Ask your questions. Find the producer that is right for you.
Because the closer you get to the source, the more you can know about the food on your table.
Find the producer that is right for you.
Explore the registry, learn their stories, and ask your questions.