Here’s a fairly simple thing you can do to help bridge the consumer gap: Get yourself and your employees Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certified.
The program, funded by the Beef Checkoff and managed by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), teaches techniques of good animal and resource care. Taken online or in person (in some states), BQA certification is your commitment to do things the right way for your animals on such topics as injections, pests, processing, resource management, and more. It’s usually practices you’re already following; BQA gives you credit with a certification statement of your training and goodwill.
More than 100,000 beef producers have taken the course and made that statement over the past few years. NCBA officials note nearly a million people in the United States own at least one cow: They all should be BQA certified.
Do Consumers Really Care?
When our long-range task force was studying market research regarding consumers’ perception of animal care, we found that when they learned about BQA, their concerns were greatly alleviated,” says Kim Brackett, chair of the BQA Advisory Group and an Idaho family cow-calf producer. Brackett attended a BQA certification class at a neighbor’s ranch about 20 years ago, and it piqued her interest to get involved on Idaho’s BQA advisory board.
“At my first class, the presenters showed us what an injection site lesion looked like, and I realized that we needed to do better as producers. At the end of the day, I’m a food producer, and I am responsible for producing high-quality food for consumers. BQA helps me meet that goal,” she says.
The Bracketts require all employees (including their children) to maintain a current BQA certification. “The biggest change on our ranch has been to design a new chute/working facility to help us process cattle more calmly and efficiently,” Brackett says. “We challenge ourselves to consider different options when it comes to handling cattle, whether it’s on horseback, loading on trucks, or processing calves in the fall.
“None of us like to be told what to do or how to do it,” she continues. “That’s why BQA is a voluntary program. Cattle producers who choose to become certified understand efficiency and how BQA will help their operation.”
Brackett adds that as consumer concerns about animal welfare have rippled through the supply chain, some retail and food service businesses have started requiring BQA certification from their suppliers.
“Consumers often live in a world filled with regulations, and they don’t understand why animal care isn’t regulated as well. They simply want to verify that it’s our highest priority each day on our ranch,” Brackett says. “When we tell them that a high percentage of the cattle in this country come from BQA operations, it demonstrates that the people who produce their beef share the same value as they do: high-quality animal care.”
Four Tips From BQA
Chase DeCoite, director of BQA programs for NCBA, shares four simple protocols he wishes all beef producers would adopt.
1. Injection site. Place injections in the front of the shoulder and back of the neck region.
2. Withdrawal times. Follow them exactly on injectables, so there is never a residue issue in meat products.
3. Your local veterinarian. Work with him or her to establish health protocols for your ranch. Research shows that consumers trust veterinarians, and when you can say you work closely with yours, that resonates.
4. Calmer cattle. Learn and adopt low-stress weaning and preconditioning practices.
