By Allen Gahler
Opportunities abound to educate yourself and become a better beef producer throughout February, March, and early April. Some online webinars, some in person classroom style meetings, and even some on farm workshops will be taking place all around Ohio, courtesy of the OSU Beef Extension team and several county educators.
Perhaps the most critical of those meetings to attend for many Ohio producers are the Beef Quality Assurance training sessions. Anyone who has not already been BQA certified and intends to sell cattle of any kind this year or any time in the future, no matter what type of sale method will be used, should consider getting certified as soon as possible. This not only benefits you as a producer by opening up marketing opportunities because you are certified, but it assures your potential customers that you value the use of humane, sustainable, and wholesome beef production practices. In fact, rather than opening up marketing opportunities, today BQA certification should be viewed as a necessary tool in your toolbox to limit the risks in your production practices, and avoid discounts at the market by not having certification. Just as those of you that have attended any of our feedlot schools over the years have heard us talk about feeding to avoid the discounts rather than chase premiums, BQA certification is now viewed the same way.
Most major buyers at stockyards, on the rail, and even local outlets are now requiring the cattle they purchase to be sourced from BQA certified operations. So even by delivering cull animals to the stockyards, your cattle could be labelled as BQA compliant, or non-compliant, which could significantly limit the buyers present that would bid on your stock. So don’t be left out in the cold this winter, visit the EVENTS/PROGRAMS tab at u.osu.edu/beef for a list of presently scheduled BQA programs in Ohio, or if you prefer the comfort of your own home, visit www.bqa.org and click on the certification link to enroll in a self-paced online certification process.
Source : osu.edu