Who Needs South Dakota BQA Certification?

By Paige Madison

Updates in the Beef Industry

Updates as of October 14, 2026.

• The national Beef Quality Assurance program is a voluntary industry-wide program that is producer-driven and based on the most current research-based cattle care practices.

  • Many food service companies view the BQA program as the U.S. producer certification program to meet consumer expectations related to claims about animal welfare, environmental stewardship and sustainability, and food safety. 

  • Thus, major packers are committing to source BQA-certified beef to meet these expectations of consumers, restaurants, and food service companies.

  • Some sale/auction barns in South Dakota require BQA certifications to sell cattle.

• Current companies with BQA sourcing claims can be found in Table 1 below (please note that these are only some examples).