Youth Quality Care of Animals certification to exhibit

Monday, February 25, 2019

4-H’ers exhibiting any beef, dairy, goats, poultry, rabbits, sheep and swine must complete the Youth Quality Care of Animals (YQCA) certification to exhibit these species of livestock.

The YQCA is a quality assurance program similar to the Junior Pork Quality Assurance (JPQA) program that swine members have completed for many years in order to be allowed to sell swine. The only exception for someone to not complete the YQCA to show in 2018 is for those who have a current valid JPQA card on show day. As JPQA cards expire, these youth will transition to the YQCA program as well.

What is the YQCA? It is a one-hour program that must be taught by a certified Extension agent, FFA adviser or veterinarian, or it may be completed online. Face to face advisor meetings will cost $3 while the online programs will cost $12. The fees are completely handled online with the YQCA registration website via credit card. The local Extension office has obtained a few coupon codes for those who do not have access to a credit or debit card for payment.

Emails and texts have been going to all livestock members to provide reminders for upcoming programs. All 4-H members will sign up for a training at https://yqca.learngrow.io/Account/Login and login with your 4honline account info if you want to check it out. Also there are links at the Putnam 4-H Livestock page located at www.extension.purdue.edu/putnam for a shorter URL. Many other livestock shows are said to be requiring this certification as well so FFA or other youth not enrolled in 4-H may create an account and become certified as well.

Indiana 4-H, like many other states, has adopted this program to help ensure food safety and proper animal care educational awareness. Already having conducted four programs, the general feedback regarding the program has been positive locally. The slide decks required for use in the face to face programs are interactive in nature, keeping the audience engaged. Upcoming YQCA programs may be found in the upcoming events section of this column. One may also complete the certification in another county. The certification is not species specific, meaning you only need to complete it once annually despite the fact one may exhibit multiple species.

Visit www.extension.purdue.edu/putnam or you can contact the local Purdue Extension Office by calling 653-8411 for more information regarding this week’s column topic or to RSVP for upcoming events. It is always best to call first to assure items are ready when you arrive and to RSVP for programs. While many publications are free, some do have a fee.

Upcoming events

March 5 – Succession Planning Program, Bloomington, 6 p.m., $50 for family of four, register at www.cvent.com/d/1bq36s.

March 9 – Ag Day Breakfast and Mini Farm Fest, Fairgrounds.

March 12 – Cultivating Your Farmers Market Knowledge – Night 3, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

March 16 – Garden Fair, Fairgrounds.

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