yqcaprogram.org

Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA) is a national multi-species quality assurance program for youth ages 8 to 21 with a focus on three core pillars: food safety, animal well-being, and character development.

To complete the BEST QA requirement online, BEST participants will complete the Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA) course (modules and test) for their appropriate age. There is a cost of $12 per online test and that payment can be made through YQCA upon registering for the online course. **Please note – 4-H participants that have a current YQCA Learn Grow account may use that log-in information to register for the online YQCA course.**  Online YQCA test results will be provided to OCA via YQCA administrators to credit BEST participants with fulfilling their BQA requirement. Please note that several national exhibitions and multi-species shows are requiring QA to participate in their shows. Find the complete list of shows and exhibitions that accept the YQCA program for their QA requirement.

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BQA.org

Beef Quality Assurance is a nationally coordinated, state implemented program that provides systematic information to U.S. beef producers and beef consumers of how common sense husbandry techniques can be coupled with accepted scientific knowledge to raise cattle under optimum management and environmental conditions. BQA guidelines are designed to make certain all beef consumers can take pride in what they purchase – and can trust and have confidence in the entire beef industry.

BQA programs have evolved to include best practices around good record keeping and protecting herd health, which can result in more profits for producers. When better quality cows leave the farm and reach the market place, the producer, packer, and consumer all benefit. When better quality beef reaches the supermarket, consumers are more confident in the beef they are buying, and this increases beef consumption. 

The efforts of BQA across the nation have been instrumental in recent successes that continue to re-build and sustain beef demand.  Through BQA programs, producers recognize the economic value of committing to quality beef production at every level - not just at the feedlot or packing plant, but within every segment of the cattle industry. 

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