By Tracy Turner
Ohio beef cattle producers can learn sound management practices and guidelines for production during a Beef Quality Assurance training workshop offered June 29 by the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University.
The workshop is targeted toward any cattle producer who is interested in learning proper management techniques to ensure a safe and wholesome beef product for consumers, said John Grimes, beef coordinator for Ohio State University Extension and a member of the OSU Extension Beef Team. OSU Extension is the outreach arm of the college.
The training on a farm at 26450 state Route 104, Circleville, will offer participants live demonstrations of basic quality assurance practices, Grimes said. The program begins with dinner at 6:30 p.m., with the training portion beginning at 7:15 p.m.
"The demonstrations will include proper animal handling to ensure the safety of the animal and worker," Grimes said. "It's all a part of understanding how the proper facilities and human behavior can make animal handling simpler and safer."
Steve Boyles, an OSU Extension beef specialist, and Grimes will lead the training program.
Beef Quality Assurance training and certification, which includes livestock handling and animal welfare programs, provides cattle producers the tools they need to raise the safest, highest quality beef they can while making their operations more efficient and productive, Grimes said.
The Beef Quality Assurance training program includes how to keep records of the producer's production practices in order to reduce liability, provide quality assurance to consumers and continue to ensure a safe beef supply through strict adherence to residue avoidance practices, he said.
The benefits of the training are significant, he said.
"It can help beef producers capture more value from their market cattle," Grimes said. "The program helps to reflect a positive public image and instills consumer confidence in the beef industry.
"When producers implement the best management practices of a Beef Quality Assurance program, they assure their market steers, heifers, cows and bulls are the best they can be."
Source:ag.purdue.edu