Attention dairy farmers – applications for the third annual National Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Award are now being accepted.
The National BQA Award will recognize one outstanding beef and dairy farmer that best demonstrate animal care and handling principles as part of the day-to-day activities on their respective operations. A common trait among all contest entrants must be a strong desire to continually improve BQA on their operations while encouraging others to implement the producer education program.
The National BQA Award is funded by Safeway’s Rancher’s Reserve beef brand and Cargill, and supported by The Beef Checkoff Program. The program promotes beef quality assurance in all segments of the industry, including commercial cow-calf, seedstock, stocker operators, feedlots and dairy operations.
“We’re in the business of caring for animals, and cattlemen and women understand that animal care and producing delicious, wholesome food go hand-in-hand,” noted John Maas, DVM, MS, veterinarian with the University of California at Davis Cooperative Extension, seedstock producer from Northern California and chairman of the Producer Education Committee. “The BQA program is just one example of the many ways that we, as an industry, stand behind this principle.”
Two National BQA award winners will be selected by a committee of representatives from universities, state beef councils and affiliated groups. Nominations can be submitted by any organization, group, or individual on behalf of a U.S. beef producer. Individuals and families may not nominate themselves, however the nominees are expected to be involved in the preparation of the application.
Source: Dairy Herd Management and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association