DEDICATED TO QUALITY
The mission of Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) is to promote best management practices for cattle producers in an effort to strengthen consumer confidence in beef as a wholesome food product.
As a beef food producer, your livelihood depends on securing the consumer’s trust. It doesn’t matter whether your herd is large of small. Meat scientists estimate there are 542 potential consumers just for the steaks and roasts of a single beef animal. Your management at the cow-calf and stocker level makes a significant difference in whether or not those 542 consumers have a good, wholesome eating experience.
BQA is not about spending more money or buying into a here-today, gone-tomorrow trend. These proven beef quality practices are just better methods of doing the same jobs you’re already doing. The main focus of the program is food safety. Eliminating residues, blemishes and foreign objects is critical to maintaining consumer confidence and acceptance of beef as the protein of choice in their diet.
Get Trained!
YOUR CERTIFICATION IS GOOD FOR THREE YEARS
NEXT STEPS
Continue to utilize BQA principles.
Check back for additional educational content on BQA topics.
Submit your Producer Consent Form
Your Dollar Does Count
Go to www.montanabeefcouncil.org where you can download the form, fill it all out electronically, print it out and sign it, then scan, re-upload to your computer and submit the form, which you can do through their website and the “submit the form” button. Or you can just email it to chaley@montanabeefcouncil.org.
GOT BEEF QUESTIONS?
Click Image … CHUCK KNOWS BEEF
RESOURCES
- VIDEO Sorting Pairs Simplified!
- BQA Feedyard Assessment – Booklet designed to help all cattle feeders benchmark their operations in areas such as animal welfare, cattle handling, record keeping, etc. Created with the help of representatives from the major cattle-feeding states.
- BQA Stocker Self Assessment – A companion booklet to the BQA Feedyard Assessment. Designed to help all stockers benchmark their operations in areas such as animal welfare, cattle handling, record keeping, etc. Created with the help of representatives with extensive experience with stocker operations.
- BQA Cow-Calf Assessment – Booklet designed to help all cow-calf producers benchmark their operations in areas such as animal welfare, cattle handling, record keeping, etc.
- National BQA Manual – Formalized training materials which support the efforts of all state BQA coordinators to train their beef producers on the topics of BQA.
- Antibiotic Stewardship for Beef Producers – Responsible antibiotic use is important to ensure that animal health technologies remain viable for the beef industry. It is key that judicious use protocols are developed so that animals are never marketed with residues and that cattlemen responsibly treat sick cattle. FDA approved Drugs Information
- Cattle Industry Guidelines for the Care and Handling of Cattle – Cattlemen have long recognized the need to properly care for the animals under their care. This informative brochure illustrates sound animal husbandry practices to help farmers and ranchers ensure the well being of the cattle under their care.
- Transportation Quality Assurance Program – Program designed to strengthen existing “Master Cattle Transporter” programming to include a certification component developed to service the needs of truckers who transport both cattle and hogs.
- Supplemental Guidelines to the National BQA Manual – Updated in 2014 to supplement the National BQA Manuals for both Beef and Dairy.
- A Beef Producers Guide for Judicious Use of Antimicrobials in Cattle – Guidelines adapted from AVMA, AABP, and AVC Appropriate Veterinary Antibiotic Use Guidelines.
- BQA Advisory Statement on the Use of Pneumatic Dart Guns – This is an advisory statement since there are no BQA guidelines for the administration of injectable drugs/products by the use of pneumatic darts or other similar methods.
Funded by Montana Beef Producers with Check-Off Dollars
