Youth Pork Quality Assurance Program rollover information

 

For many years, the Youth Pork Quality Assurance (YPQA) Plus Program has been the core quality assurance certification program for youth that sell and exhibit their swine. Youth swine exhibitors need to become certified if they choose to sell their swine to a pork processor that requires certification. Some county fairs or livestock exhibitions also require youth swine exhibitors to become certified, including many where Michigan State University Extension Michigan 4-H youth participate.

 

Designed by the National Pork Board, the YPQA Plus Program was created to educate youth producers and help to prevent drug residues, ensure the wholesomeness of pork and pork products, and promote consumer confidence in pig well-being. Every three years, the content and delivery methods for the program were reviewed by an advisory committee made up of stakeholders, agriculture educators, Extension staff and pork producers. In 2015, the advisory committee elected to completely redesign the YPQA Plus program into an overarching, all-species quality assurance program, hence the Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA) Program was created.

 

Throughout 2016 and 2017, YQCA Program components were identified by a task force committee and a curriculum development company was hired to create materials for the program. Starting in mid-2017, an online version of the YQCA program went live for youth involved in livestock projects and began offering livestock exhibitions the option of requiring their participants to gain certification in the YQCA program. In January 2018, the final roll-out of the YQCA program will happen and the current YPQA Plus program will cease to exist. Youth with a current YPQA Plus certification will remain certified until the expiration date has passed. This certification, as well as YQCA certifications, will be accepted by and could be required by processors and certain fairs and livestock exhibitions.

 

YQCA Program Components

 

YQCA is a national, multi-species quality assurance program for youth ages 8 to 21 with a focus on three core pillars: food safety, animal well-being and character development. This program mimics the YPQA Plus Program and highlights 10 good production practices for youth producers to review. The biggest difference between the programs is that YQCA is geared towards all market animal species and not limited to only youth pork producers. This new program includes information for youth raising the following food animals: