Return to TFB Main Page
Return to Texas Agriculture Archive

October 5, 2001

BQA: Cattleman, recreate thyself

By Mike Barnett
Editor

Through August of this year, some 1,150 producers had been trained in the Texas Beef Quality Producer Program—beef quality assurance (BQA) training for Lone Star State cattlemen—sponsored by the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, the Texas Beef Council and Texas Cooperative Extension.

That number nearly doubled on a hot summer day at the recent Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course when over 900 cattlemen participated in the five-hour program designed to give cattlemen a set of guidelines they can follow to assure consumers are getting safe and wholesome beef products.

"Recreate yourself," Mike Dozer, of the Texas Beef Council, urged producers. "This is something that most people are already doing. But, if you're not, I think you kind of have to go through a little bit of a mentality shift during the day-to-day operation of your farm and ranch. And then, just think about the things we are doing in the operation of your farm and ranch. And don't forget that we are providing that end product to consumers."

According to Dozer, the obectives of the program are three-fold: to assure that cattle and beef products originating from Texas cow/calf and stocker operations are safe and wholesome; that they meet requirements for quality throughout the production system; and that they are produced with environmentally sound production practices.

Dr. Ted McCollum of Texas A&M University agrees the program is a set of procedures that assures food safety in beef products. And it is also a system for process documentation.

"This is the process I use, the management practices I use," he explained. "I document it. And I'm going to give it to the next person who purchases those animals promptly, or I'm willing to supply if they ask me to verify what I have done. It's also a voluntary program. Nobody's going to force you to go through BQA. We want it to be that way because we don't want the government coming in and making it involuntary for us."

So why should producers get involved?

It's a given that producing a safe product for the consumer is paramount. To that end, other segments of the industry—from packers to feeders to food-service—have already adopted BQA management principles. And to further ensure the safety of products leaving their operations—whether that product is fed cattle or case-ready beef—these companies are looking to do business with cow/calf producers and stocker operators that utilize the same management philosophy.

It could boil down to market access. For example, McCollum laid out the following scenario: "If I don't want a problem to occur in my feedyard, then I'll never let it show up. There's going to be more scrutiny in buying cattle that have been through these programs...so they have some assurance they're not buying a problem and bringing it in."

The Texas program—designed to be compatible with other state programs across the nation—is broken into a basic level, like the one at the Beef Cattle Short Course, and an advanced level, where a BQA management plan is customized to individual operations. More sessions will be scheduled this spring. For more information see the program's website: www.texasbeefquality.com.