Why YQCA?

Why YQCA?

By: Jade Green, 4-H Youth Livestock Agent

Every year 4-H and FFA participants are reminded to complete their YQCA training if they want to sell their animals at the Fair. What is YQCA, and why do we require our youth to complete this training?

YQCA stands for Youth for the Quality Care of Animals. It is an annual education and certification program that focuses on food safety, animal well-being, and character awareness for youth ages 8 to 21 who produce and/or show pigs, beef cattle, dairy cattle, sheep, goats, rabbits, and poultry. Past trainings have provided participants with hands-on experience including tagging, branding, and other identification techniques. They have also learned about injections, withdrawal dates, and the importance of keeping accurate records.

State youth livestock leaders with representatives of national livestock organizations noticed there was a need for a single, national, multi-species program that would provide an accurate and engaging curriculum for the youth, which is current and relevant to the needs of the animal industry and shows. In March of 2017, the YQCA program was launched.

The YQCA organizational Board of Directors adopted the following goals for the YQCA training and certification program:

• Ensure safety and well-being of animals produced by youth for showing and for 4-H and FFA projects.
• Ensure a safe food supply to consumers.
• Enhance the future of livestock industry by educating youth on these very important issues so they can become more informed producers, consumers, and/or employees in the agriculture and food industry.
• Maximize the limited development time and budgets of state and national youth program leaders to provide an effective quality assurance program.
• Offer livestock shows a valid, national quality assurance certification for youth livestock exhibitors.

YQCA trainings are offered online or in person by a trained facilitator. Check with your local Extension Office today to get signed up for the next training!