BQA training highlights cattle handling techniques

MAPLE PARK, Ill. — Responsible, thoughtful cattle management is the focus of the Beef Quality Assurance program.

“We want to make every day a good day for the animal, so they’re producing a safe, wholesome beef product,” said Travis Meteer, BQA coordinator in Illinois.

“Illinois has had a BQA program since the late ‘90s, and we’ve seen great adoption of BQA in the last 10 years,” said Meteer about the national program that is funded and maintained by the Beef Checkoff.

“It comes down to healthy animals are what farmers want and healthy animals produce a safe, wholesome beef supply,” said Meteer, who also is a University of Illinois Extension educator and beef specialist.

“We were one of the first ones to get certified and now all my employees are certified,” said Mike Martz, partner in the three-generation Larson Farms, near Maple Park, that markets about 7,000 head of cattle annually.

“The program is a good step by step-by-step process to update yourself and to look at your operation to see if there is anything I could change that will make things better,” Martz said.

For the BQA program, cattlemen attend an educational course taught by specialists such as Meteer and then take a test about husbandry techniques before they receive a certification that is valid for three years. The program also is available online at www.bqa.org.

“The curriculum for BQA we present is based on sound advice, and a lot of BQA programs involve a veterinarian,” Meteer said.

Martz initially achieved his BQA certification due to his involvement with the Illinois Farm Families program, which included welcoming suburban moms to the cattle operation for a tour.

“I could see that consumers wanted to be confident that we’re doing things right,” Martz said. “Consumers are demanding this, and if we don’t have consumers, we don’t have a business.”

With all the employees BQA certified, Martz said, this puts everybody on the same page.

“I like people to question why we’re doing something, and now it’s not just coming from me,” he said. “Everybody is involved in the program, so that makes it easier for the farm to make things better.”

In addition to the BQA cattle management program, Martz also has his BQA transportation certification.

“I was in leadership of the Illinois Beef Association when that program started, so I wanted to see what they were covering during the training,” he said.

Some companies require a BQA transportation certification for those delivering cattle to processing facilities.

“Tyson started by requiring it for the driver, and now they require the certification for everyone who works with cattle,” Martz said. “I record my certification number every time I deliver cattle to Tyson.”

“One of topics we elaborate on is low stress animal handling during the training,” Meteer said. “A lot of these techniques make sense to the cattle producers because they innately know what’s good for the animals and they are excited to go home and use these ideas to handle animals better.”

Producers have the opportunity to become BQA certified at these upcoming BQA meetings, which all begin at 6 p.m.:

• Dec. 2 — Carthage Livestock Inc., Carthage.

• Dec. 3 — Reel Livestock Center, Congerville.

• Dec. 8 — Walnut Auction Sales, Walnut.

• Dec. 9 — Fairview Sale Barn, Fairview.

• Dec. 10 — Greenville Livestock Auction, Greenville.

BQA trainings are free to Illinois Beef Association members and costs $20 for non-IBA members. The fee includes a meal and training materials. Pre-registration is encouraged by calling the IBA office at 217-787-4280.

“Typically we get from 40 to 60 producers at a meeting, and we’ve had as many as close to 150 producers at an event,” Meteer said.

“The BQA program is about making sure beef cattle producers are doing the best for their animals so they can do the best for them,” he said.