BQA Free Certification Period Announced
BQA Partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc. provides free certification through Nov. 20.
The countdown has begun for beef and dairy producers to become Beef Quality Assurance (BQA)-certified for free online through Nov. 20. As an added bonus, anyone who becomes certified during this period is eligible to win a prize package, courtesy of Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc. (BIVI) and the BQA program, funded in part by the beef checkoff.
BIVI will pick up the $25-$50 online training fee for every person completing BQA training through Nov. 20. That includes anyone who works with cattle — whether it is beef or dairy. Visit www.bqa.org to take advantage of the open certification period.
The BQA program is important to the cattle industry because it is a producers’ consumer-friendly story to tell, helping them talk about using BQA Best Management Practices for producing a safe and high-quality beef product.
The BQA training modules are customized to fit the specific needs of each segment of the cattle industry — cow-calf, stocker, feedyard and dairy operations. The program covers best management practices such as proper handling and administration of animal health products, reducing injection-site blemishes, and low-stress cattle-handling principles.
More than 2,100 producers across the country became BQA-certified during the last campaign thanks to the program support by BIVI. That is the highest number in the program’s four-year history, and means that nearly 22,000 producers have taken advantage of these free offers to sign up for the BQA certification program. Through its sponsorship of the BQA certification program, BIVI provides financial support for the Beef Cattle Institute, which developed the training modules.
To become BQA-certified, or learn more about the program, visit www.bqa.org. To learn more about your beef checkoff investment, visit http://mybeefcheckoff.com.
Editor’s Note: For questions about the online certification process, including technical issues, please contact Kelly Oliver at Kansas State University. Melissa Sandfort is the trade media manager for the Cattlemen’s Beef Board.