Quality Assurance is an annual requirement of the Ohio Department of Agriculture for youth taking livestock projects to county and state fair. In Fairfield County, Quality Assurance Training is required for all members who will be exhibiting a livestock project at the Fairfield County Fair or Junior Exhibitor at the Ohio State Fair. Beef (Breeding & Market); Dairy Breeding & Dairy Feeders; Goats (Dairy, Meat, Market & Pygmy); Poultry (Breeding & Market); Sheep (Breeding & Market); Swine; Rabbits (Breeding & Market), and Alpacas/Llamas.
Deadlines for 2022:
- Youth planning to exhibit at the Ohio State Fair must have their Quality Assurance completed by June 1st, 2022.
- Youth planning to exhibit at the Fairfield County Fair must have their Quality Assurance completed by June 30, 2022
At this time, Quality Assurance CANNOT be taught by club/chapter advisors to Fairfield County 4-H/FFA youth virtually (i.e. Zoom, Google Hangouts, Google Classrooms, Facebook Live, etc.).
Here are the acceptable options to complete Quality Assurance in 2022:
- In-Person 4-H Club/FFA Chapter Clinic taught by a 4-H/FFA Advisor who has completed the Quality Assurance Assistant Instructor Training this year (which took place on March 14th and March 28th). Advisors who attended this training will notify their members of their club/chapter QA Clinic date and will be responsible for getting all QA paperwork submitted to the Extension Office by the appropriate deadlines.
- In-Person Countywide Make-Up Clinics: To be held on Saturday, May 7th from 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. and Sunday, May 22nd from 12:00 p.m.- 1:30 p.m. in the Ed Sands Building at the Fairgrounds. An RSVP is required. Please click here to register for a countywide QA makeup clinic.
- In-Person Beef Quality Assurance: Members who complete an in-person BQA taught by a certified BQA instructor must submit documentation to Leslie Cooksey at cooksey.25@osu.edu.
- In-Person Pork Quality Assurance: Members who complete an in-person PQA taught by a certified PQA advisor must submit documentation to Leslie Cooksey at cooksey.25@osu.edu. Youth MUST be age 14 or older (current age) to complete in-person PQA. Youth will receive a PQA certification number from the National Pork Board upon completion.
- Online: Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA). This is the ONLY approved ONLINE Quality Assurance Program for youth in Ohio. For 2022, this web-based course has been approved by ODA for 8-18 year olds.
- Go to https://yqcaprogram.org/ for the training and quiz. 3
- Instructions for using the new website can be found at: 2022 YQCA Website Instructions
- Exhibitors must complete by June 30, 2022 or they will not be able to show at the Fairfield County Fair.
- You will need to select the web-based training ($12.00 per member, annually).
- When you are finished, please send name(s) and certificate number(s) to Leslie Cooksey at cooksey.25@osu.edu.