Get BQA’d, Meet Coach Tang at Hy-Plains Feedyard

Join us August 21 for a dynamic, bilingual BQA workshop after Feeding Quality Forum in Kansas.

by Morgan Boecker

August 1, 2024

Whether your cattle operation has one employee or dozens, success happens from sharing a common goal and knowing the most up-to-date information.

Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certification is an easy and effective way to pursue continued education in the cattle business. Cattlemen and women can become BQA certified, or renew an expired certification, on Wednesday afternoon, August 21, 2024, at Hy-Plains Feedyard in Montezuma, Kan. Plus, attendees will hear from Jerome Tang, Kansas State University men’s basketball coach, about how it takes every player on a team to win. The workshop is free to attend and will offer simultaneous Spanish interpretation.

As a nationally coordinated, state-implemented program, BQA offers up-to-date best management strategies with a commitment to quality through every segment of beef production. Across the country, cow-calf producers and feedyard operators may be required to show a current BQA certificate to sell fed cattle to major packers.

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Education will be led by Bob Smith, DVM, Veterinary Research and Consulting Services, and A.J. Tarpoff, DVM, K-State extension. Check-in starts at 1:30 p.m. with opening comments at 2:00 p.m. from Kirsten Nickles, Ph.D., Certified Angus Beef (CAB), and Tom Jones, Hy-Plains Feedyard. Then, attendees will split into rotations to learn more about herd health, a necropsy demonstration, cattle handling and other best management practices. The day will end with the BQA exam and comments from Coach Tang. Attendees are encouraged to stay and celebrate their BQA certification with refreshments and a meet-and-greet with the K-State head basketball coach.

After the BQA exam, attendees have a chance to win one of three giveaways. One attendee will take home a Yeti Tundra^® cooler filled with Certified Angus Beef ^® steaks. Another giveaway will be a CAB Kitchen Bundle, featuring a Yeti Tundra^® cooler, home butchery set, 20 beef stick packs, deluxe grill set, salt and pepper cellar, smash burger spatula, reverse sear pan and leather barbecue gloves. The final giveaway is a CAB Swag Bag, filled with a rain jacket, vest, tote, ballcap, beanie, socks and gloves.

The workshop is scheduled after the Feeding Quality Forum event. The feedyard-focused BQA workshop is designed for cow-calf producers, feedyard managers and their employees. Sign-up is encouraged online at FeedingQualityForum.com under the BQA Workshop tab.

The Best Beef is Raised the Right Way

This workshop will be hosted by CAB and Sysco, in conjunction with Hy-Plains Feedyard, K-State Research and Extension, Kansas Livestock Association and NCBA Cattlemen’s Education Series sponsored by the National Corn Growers Association. In 2023, CAB and Sysco launched a cattle care partnership with a campaign, Raised with Respect™. This campaign leans into animal welfare, continuing education and certification to tell a stronger ranch story to Sysco’s customers in a way that builds confidence and trust in high-quality beef. The BQA workshop at Hy-Plains Feedyard is the second event in year two of the partnership.

“Beef Quality Assurance is the industry standard for cattle care, and it’s proven to be an effective and easy way for cattle producers to demonstrate to consumers the hard work, dedication and passion it takes to produce high-quality beef,” says Nickles, CAB animal care and sustainability scientist. “In-person events like this bring producers together regardless of age, experience or sector, and fosters conversation around continuous improvement in the best management practices that allow us to be the most sustainable beef industry in the world.”

More information on Raised with Respect™ can be found at www.cabcattle.com/RaisedWithRespect.

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