USDA Food Quality Laboratory Photograph Albums

Collection

Identifier: MS0398

Staff Only

Content Description

The USDA Food Quality Laboratory Photograph Albums consist of three albums that document the facilities, equipment, and processes used in studies of meat production at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Beltsville (Maryland) Agricultural Research Center (BARC). Photographs show the exterior of the abattoir at BARC-East, interior views of the Meat Quality Laboratory, scientific instruments and equipment, meat grading and cutting, comparative meat samples, and exhibits. There are also series of photographs documenting the processes of slaughtering, skinning, and dressing hogs and beef cattle. Several images taken at the USDA Bureau of Home Economics show panels of judges tasting and evaluating prepared meats.

Dates

Creation: 1916-1940
Creation: Majority of material found within 1925-1928

Conditions Governing Access

Contact Special Collections for access.

Organizational History

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) first recognized animal husbandry as an independent unit within the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) in 1901. Secretary of Agriculture James “Tama Jim” Wilson raised the animal husbandry unit to division status in 1910. During that same year, USDA purchased a 475-acre farm near Beltsville, Maryland, to expand the BAI's practical research in animal husbandry.

The Meat Quality Laboratory, located at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, operated in the Animal Husbandry Division. The laboratory's objective was to evaluate the quantity and quality of meat produced through research efforts in animal breeding, nutrition, and management.

In 1953, the Bureau of Animal Industry and its Animal Husbandry Division were abolished in a reorganization that established the Agricultural Research Service (ARS). The division's functions were transferred to the newly established Animal and Poultry Husbandry Research Branch within ARS.