By Tracy Ross | Colorado Sun
In the old days, if a small or midsize beef processor wanted to get the most out of their highest-quality meat, they had to do as the big processors do: pay a living, breathing human sometimes upward of $114 an hour to travel to their plant, often out in the boonies, and grade the meat ranchers sold them after seeing it in person.
Beef comes in “Prime,” “Choice,” “Select,” “Standard” and “Commercial” grades, according to the USDA’s tutorial on the subject, with prices corresponding to those grades.
Prime beef is produced from young, well-fed beef cattle, has slightly abundant marbling (the amount of fat interspersed with lean meat), and is generally sold in upscale restaurants, according to the USDA.