NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
June 1, 2000
A veterinarian at North Dakota State University urges beef producers not to forget the lessons taught by North Dakota's Beef Quality Assurance Program over the winter.
"This season's calf crop is on the ground, and we're beginning to vaccinate, brand and implant those calves. With the time they've already invested in the program, producers don't want to make mistakes now," says Charlie Stoltenow of the NDSU Extension Service.
More than 1,000 producers from more than 900 farms and ranches completed training for the North Dakota Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Program last winter. Calves from those producers are BQA certified, meaning they are produced using management techniques that safeguard the quality of the resulting meat. BQA certified calves may command a premium from feeders looking to provide BQA certified cattle to processors. About 15 percent of this year's North Dakota calf crop, about 150,000 head, are expected to be BQA certified.
Basic practices include giving all injections ahead of the shoulder, placing all implants in the ear and keeping meticulous records of vaccinations, antibiotic treatments and feed additives.
"Keeping records is probably the key point for producers," Stoltenow says. "We're basically talking about full disclosure of our management practices to assure customers that we're doing all we can to produce top-quality meat."
Producers who haven't been BQA certified can also follow the program's production recommendations. "All of these are good management practices whether you're certified or not. But if you're not certified, the market won't recognize your efforts," Stoltenow says.
Another series of training sessions is being planned for fall and winter. North Dakota BQA certification must be renewed every three years.
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Source: Charlie Stoltenow (701) 231-7522
Editor: Tom Jirik (701) 231-9629