Beef Quality Assurance Certification Workshop set for Nov. 14
UW-Madison, Division of Extension Lincoln County is hosting a Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Certification Workshop on November 14 at the Corning Town Hall, N1569 State Road 64 & 107 in Merrill from 6-9 p.m with registration beginning at 5:30 pm. So we can plan on materials please RSVP to Dan Marzu, Lincoln and Langlade Counties Agriculture Extension Educator, at 715-539-1072 or [email protected] by November 4th. Upon completion of the workshop the Wisconsin BQA Program will verify your certification with BQA.org and send your certification number to the farm by either email or regular mail.
Beef producers created the voluntary Beef Quality Assurance Program in 1987 to assist each other in raising, feeding and harvesting high quality beef.
Effective January 1, 2019, buyers representing some large packers and processors will only purchase from farms that are BQA or FARM Certified. The voluntary Beef Quality Assurance Program assists in raising, feeding and harvesting high quality beef. By participating in BQA and adopting BQA production practices, you are helping to answer the call from the packers’ consumers, for safe beef raised in a humane manner.
Most dairy farms are FARM certified through their milk processor. Ask your dairy plant representative for help to get a copy of your completed FARM evaluation, or a letter from them indicating your farm’s completion of FARM 3.0 or beyond.
For information on other in-person BQA certification workshops UW-Extension visit the Wisconsin Beef Information Center online calendar at https://fyi.uwex.edu/wbic/. You may also complete the training free online at BQA.org. Here you will create an account (based upon your email address) and select the course that best fits your particular operation. Each interactive course takes about 2 hours to complete, and requires an 80% score to pass the final test. You will receive your BQA certification via email after completion of the course.
Feel free to contact Dan Marzu, Lincoln and Langlade Counties Extension Agriculture Educator, at 715-539-1072 in Merrill or 715-627-6236 in Antigo or by email [email protected] if you have any questions on the Beef Quality Assurance Program.