Beef producers in the United States have banded together to establish a Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program. The program assures healthy, wholesome, and safe beef products reach the shelves of grocery stores and restaurants for families to consume. It sets out the basic standards for record keeping, nutrition, and animal care required to raise responsible, quality beef.
Approximately 85 percent of all U.S. beef comes from BQA-certified producers. Ranchers and feedlot operators choose to participate in the program because they believe it is the right thing to do. They believe in taking the necessary steps to raise their animals responsibly and thus produce a high-quality product that they can trust is wholesome for their families.
Beef quality means providing a product that is wholesome, safe, and enjoyable for the consumer to eat. Tenderness, flavor, color, and ease of preparation are all important factors that determine the quality of beef consumers receive.
High quality beef starts with quality care. Under BQA, management standards to keep cattle healthy and stress free are laid out for producers to follow. BQA cattlemen work diligently to manage the health of their cattle.
Proper nutrition is the first point of animal care. Cattle need to receive a well-balanced diet that provides enough energy, protein, and vitamins. Not only does their feed need to have the right nutrients, but cattlemen must ensure the animals receive enough quantity of feed each day to satisfy the animal’s daily needs.
Minimizing disease is incredibly important for raising quality beef. Illness can lower beef quality as well as animal well-being. Cattlemen under the BQA program work diligently to manage their cattle for optimum health. They work with veterinarians to minimize the potential risk of disease in their operation. They use the proper vaccines and antibiotics to control contraction and spread.
Cattle stress is also an important factor in BQA. Stress free cattle handling procedures ensure the cattle are comfortable during their time on the pastures and feedlots. A low stress environment creates a better well-being, less chance of injury, and a better quality beef for the end consumer.
For every shipment, feeding bout, and medical treatment, records must be kept. BQA promotes better record keeping for a higher level of transparency across each animal's life cycle.
HerdWhistle is an agtech system that helps feedlot operators to raise quality beef. It tracks cattle 24/7 collecting data on their feeding and drinking behaviours. That data then can tell feedlot operators which animals are eating less than the others, whether that be due to illness, injury, or distress. The feedlot operator can then take the steps to correct the situation and care for the animal in need. HerdWhistle goes the extra mile to help produce higher quality beef for the consumer.
