– Allen Gahler, OSU Extension, Sandusky County
Are you due to be REcertified?
Opportunities abound to educate yourself and become a better beef producer throughout February, March, and early April. Some online webinars, some in person classroom style meetings, and even some on farm workshops will be taking place all around Ohio, courtesy of the OSU Beef Extension team and several county educators.
Perhaps the most critical of those meetings to attend for many Ohio producers are the Beef Quality Assurance training sessions. Anyone who has not already been BQA certified and intends to sell cattle of any kind this year or any time in the future, no matter what type of sale method will be used, should consider getting certified as soon as possible. This not only benefits you as a producer by opening up marketing opportunities because you are certified, but it assures your potential customers that you value the use of humane, sustainable, and wholesome beef production practices. In fact, rather than opening up marketing opportunities, today BQA certification should be viewed as a necessary tool in your toolbox to limit the risks in your production practices, and avoid discounts at the market by not having certification. Just as those of you that have attended any of our feedlot schools over the years have heard us talk about feeding to avoid the discounts rather than chase premiums, BQA certification is now viewed the same way.
Most major buyers at stockyards, on the rail, and even local outlets are now requiring the cattle they purchase to be sourced from BQA certified operations. So even by delivering cull animals to the stockyards, your cattle could be labelled as BQA compliant, or non-compliant, which could significantly limit the buyers present that would bid on your stock. So don’t be left out in the cold this winter, visit the EVENTS/PROGRAMS tab at u.osu.edu/beef for a list of presently scheduled BQA programs in Ohio, or if you prefer the comfort of your own home, visit www.bqa.org and click on the certification link to enroll in a self-paced online certification process.
If you have previously certified through bqa.org or one of our classes, your certification is good for 3 years from the date of issue. If you are unsure of your status and need to check, contact the Ohio Cattleman’s Association office at 614-873-6736, or the county extension office in which you took your last class. The list of upcoming classes on the beef team website does contain some newly added programs in Northern Ohio that producers have been asking about, including the following dates and times:
March 29, 2022 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Beef Quality Assurance Training & Re-certification
United Producers Inc. 3153 OH-98, Bucyrus, OH 44820
Contact Crawford County Extension 419-562-8731 to register
March 31, 2022 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Beef Quality Assurance Training & Re-certification
Luckey Farmers Inc. Main Office 1200 W. Main St. Woodville, OH 43469
Contact Sandusky County Extension 419-334-6340 to register