Beef Quality

Annie Schoetmer, Illinois Beef Association Programs and Services Manager

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “beef quality”? Maybe your first thought is grades of meat, like Prime, Choice, or Select. Maybe your first thought is a wellbuilt, good-looking show animal. Or maybe, just maybe, your first thought is the Beef Quality Assurance program, otherwise known as BQA. Beef Quality Assurance is a nationally coordinated, state-facilitated program designed to address emerging consumer demands through producer education and training.

It is no secret that the percentage of people directly involved in agriculture has been on a downward trend for decades, meaning fewer people have first-hand experience with food animal production. Yet, studies continue to show that an increasing number of consumers want to know where their food came from, and how their food was raised. So, the question surfaces, if the average consumer is three generations removed from agriculture, how do they obtain information on how their beef was raised? How do we, as responsible beef producers, do our part to assure consumers that the beef they purchase was raised safely and responsibly? Obtaining and maintaining a BQA certification is our industry’s flagship program to do just that.

Here in Illinois, producers can receive BQA certification anytime online at bqa.org, or by attending one of the inperson BQA meetings we host throughout the state each year. In partnership with the University of Illinois Extension, the Illinois Beef Association just wrapped up a series of in-person BQA trainings across the state. I had the opportunity to hit the road for several weeks in November and December to attend each of our in-person meetings, which are taught by my fellow State BQA Coordinator, Travis Meteer, who is also a University of Illinois Extension Beef Specialist.

The meeting marathon kicked off with a BQA workshop in Effingham County on November 28. Producer members and animal science students from the University of Illinois gathered in Champaign County the next night, on November 29, for a special cow-calf educational session as part of our Cattlemen Connect Education Series. This meeting featured presentations by university veterinary medicine faculty members, Dr. Jason Walker, and Dr. Tessa Marshall, and concluded with a BQA certification. The first week of our in-person BQA meetings wrapped up at Carthage Livestock on November 30.

Another impressive group of cattlemen and women gathered in Cambridge on December 5, for another Cattlemen Connect Education Series workshop covering risk management and winter management of cattle, and many producers stuck around for the BQA certification that night as well. Then we were off to Stephenson County on December 7 for another BQA training, and finally, the BQA run concluded on December 11, at Fairview Sale Barn.

Six meetings, at six locations across the state, and yet there is one common denominator: cattlemen and women committed to doing their part to ensure the future of the beef industry. While the previous sentence may seem like an overexaggeration, after tucking our second in-person BQA run under my belt, I believe it to my core. Beef Quality Assurance training is our first mode of building consumer confidence. Our willingness, as producers, to participate in a voluntary program dedicated to executing every aspect of cattle production the right way sends a very clear message. A message that we care, a message that we are committed to cattle management, and a message that we are stepping up to ensure a wholesome and safe beef supply.

For producers, BQA is built on the premise that we can couple commonsense husbandry practices with scientific knowledge, to raise cattle under the most optimal conditions. Favorable environmental conditions combined with good animal husbandry improves the overall carcass quality and value. Oftentimes the BQA program is just one big reminder of the things that we do on our farm 365 days a year. If you attended an in-person training, you may have even heard Travis say “I am going to serve as a professional reminder-er tonight”. However, the BQA program goes beyond you and your farm; the overarching message of the BQA program is being leveraged to reinstate consumer trust. Key BQA principles are being incorporated into consumer-facing resources, to help bridge the gap between farmers and the average consumer. High-priority BQA messaging includes the thoughtful use of antibiotics in cattle production, low-stress animal handling, and environmental sustainability. Matters that as responsible producers, we take seriously on the farm every day, and fortunately for us, we can assure consumers of our commitment simply by obtaining and maintaining a BQA certification.

BQA certificates are valid for three years, and while certification can be completed anytime online, the food and fellowship at in-person meetings are truly a treat. Reflecting on the six in-person trainings, I am grateful for the hundreds of passionate and committed producers I was able to interact with. I am thankful for the opportunity to gather with likeminded cattle enthusiasts and to participate in important conversations. I am appreciative of the men and women who are doing their part to ensure the future of the beef industry by certifying with the BQA program! Finally, I would be remiss to leave out the generous sponsors who believe in BQA and producer education as much as I do. A huge ‘thank you’ goes out to Axiota, BA Precast, Earlybird, Elanco, Fairview Sale Barn, Farm Credit Illinois, Hopedale Agri Center, Illinois Farm Bureau, Kent, Land O’ Lakes Financial, Longhorn Cattle & Swine Confinements, Maurer-Stutz, Merck, Nemo Feed, Pike Feeds, Pro Harvest Seeds, Purina, River Valley Cooperative, United Producers, and Zoetis. Each of the above-mentioned entities believes strongly in the beef industry and they have stepped up to support producer education and outreach. Certifying at bqa.org is free to all, but it is because of generous industry support that in-person BQA training is always free to Illinois Beef Association members.

To sum it all up, building consumer trust to ensure the viability of the beef industry is no small feat, but collectively producers across Illinois are stepping up to do their part by getting certified. With our winter run of in-person BQA trainings complete, I look forward to a set of in-person BQA meetings in the summer of 2024. In the meantime, I am always happy to answer questions and offer support to those obtaining certification online. I hope next time you hear “beef quality” the Beef Quality Assurance program quickly comes to mind as our industry’s flagship program to address consumer concerns. I hope that you are current on your certification, and I hope that you are living out the BQA message every day on your farm!