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American farmers and ranchers pride themselves on producing low cost, high quality agricultural commodities and products that feed our nation as well as those that live beyond our shores.

The infrastructure along our food chain combines individual farmer efforts and streamlines delivery systems enabling the vast majority of Americans to enter the local grocery store, any day of the year, and purchase what is needed to fit their family’s nutritional needs and culinary preferences.

In an effort to insure the continued safety of our nation’s food supply, ranchers from Smith and surrounding counties are encouraged to make plans now to attend a free Texas Beef Quality Producer program on May 2 in Lindale.

Beef Quality Assurance is a national effort involving 47 states in a training designed to promote good management practices in an effort to strengthen consumer confidence in beef as a wholesome food product. The main focus of the program is food safety. The goal of BQA is to enhance producer decision-making skills, reduce production input costs and produce a better food product in the process. Beef quality, food safety and environmental stewardship guide the principles of the TBQP.

TBQP management strategies prevent problems related to quality and safety from occurring, rather than trying to correct them once they have occurred. According to information from the TBQP program, there are 542 potential customers for just the steaks and roasts of a single beef carcass. Management at the cow-calf and stocker level make a big difference in whether or not those 542 customers have a good, wholesome eating experience.

Whether you are a large or small producer, the management strategies you employ impact the wholesomeness and quality of the beef you produce. Genetics, branding, vaccinations, weaning and day-to-day management all play a part in the dining experience on someone else’s plate thousands of miles away.

The history of Beef Quality Assurance dates back to the 1960s with a program called Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, which was developed in conjunction with NASA and the space program.

The May 2 program at Lindale’s Kinzie Community Center at Poole Park, 912 Mount Sylvan Road (Farm-to-Market Road 849) will offer producers a chance to attain both Level I and Level II TBQP certification.

The Level I training encompasses the basics behind HACCP, injection site management, residue avoidance, foreign object avoidance, record-keeping for beef quality assurance and quality control points.

The Level II training discusses the importance of developing a working relationship with a veterinarian to complete a veterinary drug order/treatment protocol book that you can reference when planning a preventative immunization program and when treating sick livestock.

To register, contact Stacy Fox with the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association at 800-242-7820, extension 145, or send Ms. Fox an e-mail at sfox@texascattleraisers.org. Registration for the Level I training begins at 7:30 a.m. and the Level I training concludes around 3 p.m. Registration for the Level II training begins at 2:30 p.m. and the training concludes around 5 p.m.

Lunch will be provided.

Part of the TBQP program is the concept of continuing education. TBQP participants, once certified, must receive eight Beef Quality credits every two years to re-certify. Beef Quality credits are offered in conjunction with many continuing education programs offered by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, the TSCRA and the Texas Beef Council.

The Texas Beef Quality Producer program is sponsored by the Texas Beef Council, the TSCRA and the Texas AgriLife Extension Service. Funding for the TBQP program is provided by the TSCRA, checkoff dollars from the Texas Beef Council and sponsorships from Cargill Cattle Feeders and Pfizer Animal Health. For more information about the Texas Beef Quality Producer program, visit http://www.texasbeefquality.com/.

Brian Triplett is the Smith County Extension agent for agriculture and natural resources. He can be reached at 903-590-2980 or via e-mail at b-triplett@tamu.edu or on the Web at http://tceblogs.tamu.edu/mt/smith or http://smith-tx.tamu.edu.