The folks at Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. have stepped up to pay for producers to become certified in the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program. Josh White, coordinates the BQA program for the beef checkoff, said producers can save from $25 to $50 fee during the open certification period.
"It’s September through October, so the whole months of September and October you just go online to BQA.org/team, and that will get you to the right page to get the code you need to enter," White said. "We’re partnering with the Beef Cattle Institute for this online training, and so you can also go to animalcaretraining.org to see all the modules that are available."
This is the third time Boehringer Ingelheim has supported this checkoff-funded program by sponsoring producer certifications. White says BQA certification elements have something for everyone in the cattle industry. You can listen to today's Beef Buzz by Clicking on the LISTEN BAR below.
"They’re divided up so if you’re a stocker backgrounder there’s a module for you, if you’re in the feedlot sector there’s a great module there, transportation folks have assets online, especially, that you can resource there, and also the cow calf is, of course, online," White said.
Dairy producers also have their own BQA module. White said no beef or dairy producer should be nervous about becoming part of this important industry effort.
"The BQA program has a lot of common sense in it, and it’s just about taking the time to go through the modules. There’s a little quiz, it’s not complicated. I’ve done it myself a couple of times over the years. It’s sort of like a PowerPoint slide show, for people that are familiar with that. That’s how it’s set up, you just sort of watch through that’s moderated, and it gives you the info that ask you a little quiz. And the other great about it is that it’s set up in small segments, so you can do a segment, it will record your progress to that point, and then if you have to go out and do some work, it won’t back you up to the beginning, it will save to right there, and you can pick it up where you left off," White said.
In this time of transparency where consumers want to know how their beef is produced, White said this is a great way to let consumers know they are doing it the best way possible.
"It says that you’re serious about the cattle business, number one, that you care enough about producing cattle the right way to make sure you are.," White said. "All of us think in our own mind that we’re doing the right thing, but this is scientifically researched and proven by the best experts in the business, best management practices for each step of the way for your production, from nutrition to transportation to low stress handling – it covers it all in a concise way. And again the message it sends to consumers. Most of the farmers and ranchers that I know and even myself may not be that excited about going into an urban center and talking about what you do, just because you don’t want to fight traffic and deal with all that. But by being BQA certified you’re delivering that message to consumers, that you care and are committed to delivering a high quality product."
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