WASHINGTON - The US Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced on Feb. 22 that it plans to host three educational events focused on animal handling, specifically for the cattle industry.

The agency will hold the events in facilities known as the  USDA Cattle and Carcass Training Centers (Training Center).

The first event will be at Colorado State University (CSU) March 28-30, focusing on animal handling and its effects on quality and yield factors along with live cattle demonstrations. Guest speakers for the program will include subject matter experts from the USDA, CSU, and the CME Group, along with industry analysts, cattle buyers, and keynote speaker Temple Grandin, PhD.

Another event will be held at West Texas A&M University on  May 17-18 that will look at how cattle and beef are evaluated by the USDA for quality and yield, how these factors play into CME specifications for cattle deliveries and beef carcass certification, and the relationship between cattle production practices, the USDA grading and acceptance process, and producer prices.

The final announced event will be held at the newest training center at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln on June 15-16. The topics for that presentation include emerging technology in livestock and meat industries along with CME live cattle and carcass specifications and deliveries.

The USDA said anyone can attend the event, but they are targeted at producers, feeders and other stakeholders in the cattle market industry.

During all three events, AMS plans to review the Meat and Poultry Processing Capacity Technical Assistance Program (MPPTA).