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Beef quality assurance program raises awareness
Iowa About 40 cattle producers attended the Iowa Beef Quality Assurance program Jan. 18 at Albright Farms near Lytton, Iowa. Fort Dodge Animal Health Senior Territory Manager, Jerry Sorensen, and Fort Dodge Animal Health Vet, Dr. Jerry Woodruff, were also on hand to demonstrate what happens when the needle disappears under the hide. "Beef quality assurance starts on the farm. By participating in this program, producers show they are willing to stand behind their product," says Brian Waddingham, BQA Coordinator and Director of Industry Relations for the Iowa Beef Industry Council. Iowa's BQA certification program, which began in 1999, is fully funded with beef checkoff dollars. The BQA program has certified nearly 4,200 producers to date. It has helped to inform beef producers about the latest management practices such as proper injection site techniques and record keeping practices and has also helped to make consumers more aware of the extra efforts taken by Iowa producers to deliver safe, wholesome beef. "The BQA certification and demonstration was well received by producers," stated Al Clough, FC Co-op Beef Specialist. "The program was very informative and I heard many positive comments from producers that attended". For more than fifteen years, the beef industry's Beef Quality Assurance program has encouraged producers to adopt practices that lead to higher quality carcasses and greater consumer confidence in beef. American and international consumers expect safe, quality beef. Iowa beef producers work to provide this expectation through the BQA program. Maintaining consumer demand for beef requires a commitment to quality beef production, not only at the feedlot or packing plant, but also within every segment of the cattle industry. Concern over food safety is an important consumer issue. It is of utmost importance that the consumer knows beef is a safe and wholesome product," says Waddingham. Consumers in Calhoun and surrounding counties should be proud of their beef producers and feel confident that the beef they are consuming is safe, wholesome and nutritious. Albright Farms Inc., FC Co-op of Farnhamville, Land O Lakes/Purina Feeds, Fort Dodge Animal Health, Quality Liquid Feeds and Alpharma sponsored the BQA program.
0 None None Date: 2/22/07
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