Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance Update

Becky Funk Author

09/02/2020 Added

17 Plays

Description

Dr. Becky Funk talks about recent updates with Nebraska BQA program.
Feedback form

Searchable Transcript

Search:

[00:00:00.980]Good morning,
[00:00:01.813]I have been asked to give a little bit of an update
[00:00:05.870]on the status of the Beef Quality Assurance program
[00:00:08.640]here in Nebraska.
[00:00:10.160]As many of you may be aware
[00:00:12.213]that program itself is going
[00:00:14.370]through some transition currently.
[00:00:16.260]Rob Eirich, who was our program coordinator for some time
[00:00:21.130]stepped down at the first of the year
[00:00:23.690]take a different position and extension.
[00:00:26.720]And that has led to
[00:00:28.582]some changes in the program in June or so.
[00:00:33.570]I was asked to come on board as the interim coordinator.
[00:00:36.810]And so that is the role I've been filling
[00:00:38.500]the last couple months.
[00:00:41.640]And just going to give you an update on
[00:00:43.590]where the program is headed in the future today.
[00:00:55.110]So a little bit of background on the BQA Program in general,
[00:00:58.980]although most of you probably don't need it.
[00:01:02.550]This has taken right off of the national website
[00:01:05.710]and it's just the foundation of the program
[00:01:08.240]or the foundation of the values
[00:01:09.800]that the program is established on.
[00:01:12.480]We believe that the production practices
[00:01:15.470]that we participate in
[00:01:17.940]as beef cattle producers do affect
[00:01:19.613]the consumer acceptance of beef,
[00:01:22.290]that those downstream effects are apparent
[00:01:25.980]and can affect our ability to market our product.
[00:01:30.120]We believe that the BQA program has
[00:01:33.050]and will continue to empower beef producers
[00:01:35.540]to make improvements in that.
[00:01:39.192]And that product that we provide to the consumer
[00:01:41.340]and that we always are doing things to be mindful
[00:01:44.870]of the safety and the wholesomeness of that beef product.
[00:01:48.730]We believe that these are the underlying principles
[00:01:53.620]of the BQA program,
[00:01:55.010]and that they're critically important to maintaining
[00:01:58.960]that market share that we're after for that product.
[00:02:04.290]So as mentioned before,
[00:02:05.990]there are some new faces in the program.
[00:02:08.033]I am the Interim Coordinator.
[00:02:10.380]If you have had issues with your certification
[00:02:14.130]or have been in search of a trainer,
[00:02:15.580]you may have already talked to me.
[00:02:17.610]If you call over the next couple of months,
[00:02:19.690]I'm probably the person you were going to get,
[00:02:22.080]but come this fall, there will be another change.
[00:02:25.210]We have hired a permanent coordinator
[00:02:27.550]to fill Rob's position, and that person is Jesse Fulton.
[00:02:30.711]He as he obtained his Masters of Animal Science from SDSU
[00:02:38.300]and has just come off of spending five years with NCPA
[00:02:42.320]as the Director of Producer Education.
[00:02:45.530]There NCBA he was involved with managing
[00:02:51.100]the most recent National Beef Quality Audit.
[00:02:54.710]So that audit, that kind of drives the BQA program
[00:02:58.470]that tells what we've made improvements in,
[00:03:00.780]what we still need to make improvements in
[00:03:03.080]and where we're going.
[00:03:04.630]If you have participated in any of those NCBA webinars
[00:03:08.660]that they've been putting out this year,
[00:03:10.930]those virtual learning opportunities
[00:03:13.020]during the course of the COVID pandemic,
[00:03:16.548]you've probably seen the products
[00:03:18.340]of his work have seen him present on those.
[00:03:22.040]He will be housed in
[00:03:24.440]the Panhandle Research and Extension Center
[00:03:27.940]in Scottsbluff, Nebraska.
[00:03:29.720]So while currently we're at clay center,
[00:03:32.040]and that's where you've been sending all of your materials
[00:03:34.630]or where you've been receiving them from,
[00:03:36.460]he will be going back to that office.
[00:03:38.740]So that address will be returning out there.
[00:03:44.810]With all the transition that BQA program
[00:03:47.640]is going to get a new look.
[00:03:49.150]The manual that everybody's familiar with is
[00:03:52.840]our Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance manual.
[00:03:55.750]It is a state only manual,
[00:03:57.660]but the last time it was updated was in 2007.
[00:04:00.910]So this manual is fully 13 years old.
[00:04:03.850]And with that is become outdated.
[00:04:06.810]Some things that are missing in it,
[00:04:08.280]as many of you are probably aware the VFD has been
[00:04:12.100]implemented in that time period
[00:04:13.650]and it is not included in there.
[00:04:16.060]A certain industry benchmarks
[00:04:18.010]that are included in that manual.
[00:04:19.730]Certainly outdated those industry numbers
[00:04:22.280]haven't been updated.
[00:04:23.680]In that time the National Beef Quality Audit
[00:04:26.640]has been redone.
[00:04:27.560]So some of those things
[00:04:29.850]that we look to to direct the program have changed.
[00:04:34.970]And then also there's some emerging issues
[00:04:37.620]that are not included in this manual
[00:04:39.460]and things such as increasing concerns about
[00:04:43.330]transportation quality assurance,
[00:04:46.000]increasing concerns about sustainability in
[00:04:48.270]the beef industry are discussed in detail.
[00:04:51.090]So with that, we decided instead of the investment
[00:04:56.365]to rewrite and republish our own state manual,
[00:04:59.920]the national program has just finished an updates period
[00:05:04.250]with their manual finishing up just last year.
[00:05:07.500]The full manual is actually in print.
[00:05:09.980]I have those available in my office.
[00:05:12.950]If anybody needs them, feel free to contact me
[00:05:15.420]and I can get those out to you.
[00:05:17.420]And it's also available online at bqa dot org.
[00:05:22.930]The other resource that will be available
[00:05:25.970]coming this fall it should go to print is the field guide.
[00:05:29.240]It is a shorter, more concise version of that manual.
[00:05:32.700]So something that you may see used more widely
[00:05:36.140]and say, employee trainings
[00:05:38.295]for feed yards or things like that.
[00:05:39.670]It is currently available online,
[00:05:41.810]If you wanna have a look at it,
[00:05:43.400]but again, it'll be going to print this fall.
[00:05:45.410]We expect to have them in the office
[00:05:47.330]towards the first of the year hopefully.
[00:05:54.540]So with that, here will be a bit of a new direction
[00:06:00.770]for the program as well.
[00:06:03.060]The one thing that has already changed,
[00:06:07.610]if you partake in email communication with us,
[00:06:10.400]you've already seen this
[00:06:11.720]instead of assigning an email to an individual person
[00:06:16.390]as we have done in the past,
[00:06:17.630]we decided that it would make transitions a lot smoother
[00:06:20.170]to have a program email.
[00:06:22.310]So our email right now is Nebraska bqa@unl.edu,
[00:06:28.800]and that will stay consistent
[00:06:30.930]through staff changes should they occur.
[00:06:34.180]You can send that to me.
[00:06:35.460]You can set email communication to me now,,
[00:06:37.534]and Jesse will have access to that email
[00:06:40.190]as the program email, when he starts.
[00:06:44.490]The other thing that is being reworked,
[00:06:47.610]it that is in progress is the website is due
[00:06:51.480]for a fairly large overhaul.
[00:06:54.480]So those are coming soon.
[00:06:56.500]Our website is listed there.
[00:06:58.620]If you have any interest in having a look at it,
[00:07:00.930]but know that it may have a period here
[00:07:03.210]where it will be under construction.
[00:07:05.230]And really we're going to try
[00:07:06.894]and refocus that to be a more user friendly website.
[00:07:12.560]A place where producers can get timely information
[00:07:17.570]for industry issues that they may be curious about.
[00:07:21.270]If their certification needs updating
[00:07:24.577]we can get information there,
[00:07:26.250]better access to that trainer list
[00:07:28.380]and make it a little more comprehensive
[00:07:30.520]as we update that in the coming months.
[00:07:33.890]And then hopefully as a longterm goal,
[00:07:36.780]we'd like to have producers
[00:07:38.070]actually have access to their own certification records
[00:07:40.980]instead of having to call the office,
[00:07:44.870]make sure there's somebody in the office
[00:07:46.520]to look up your records hopefully we can get that where
[00:07:50.130]as a producer, you can look up that record yourself
[00:07:52.594]and do it on demand.
[00:07:57.072]With improvements in the website,
[00:07:59.550]We're renewing our commitment at Nebraska BQA
[00:08:03.150]to provide producers with more timely industry information,
[00:08:07.080]trying to keep these things updated in a more timely manner.
[00:08:10.310]So that if you do have questions about changes
[00:08:13.110]that are currently occurring in the industry,
[00:08:14.982]this could be a good resource for you
[00:08:17.570]that we can go there to get those answers
[00:08:20.660]when they're needed and keep
[00:08:22.610]that updated in a better manner.
[00:08:25.800]The other focus that we're we're implementing or renewing,
[00:08:29.950]I guess is new trainer support materials,
[00:08:33.140]or should be coming soon,
[00:08:34.920]obviously with changing manuals
[00:08:36.850]and changing producer materials,
[00:08:38.450]there's going to be some needs to update those trainers
[00:08:42.100]and get them up to speed on the new materials we're using.
[00:08:45.600]And then, that renewed commitment
[00:08:48.670]to the Nebraska Trainer Network.
[00:08:50.730]The Nebraska BQA program has always had a foundation
[00:08:55.116]of a very robust trainer network of veterinarians
[00:08:57.963]and extension educators.
[00:09:00.520]And we are recommitting to continue that,
[00:09:03.600]to keep those trainers up to date,
[00:09:06.830]give them some options and some resources to make their job
[00:09:10.240]as trainers easier,
[00:09:11.830]whether it be just downloadable presentations.
[00:09:15.600]So they don't have to write those themselves
[00:09:18.140]or resource options such as videos,
[00:09:22.450]or even just picture banks
[00:09:24.930]where they can download good pictures
[00:09:27.570]to put their own presentations together
[00:09:29.480]if that's how they want to approach trainings.
[00:09:31.850]So those are all different things
[00:09:33.615]that are coming in the next few months.
[00:09:35.890]So stay tuned as I work through the program updates.
[00:09:40.055]So we get Jesse on board.
[00:09:41.965]There'll be a lot of changes coming down the pipe.
[00:09:48.120]So despite the new Look
[00:09:50.350]that the Nebraska BQA program will have.
[00:09:52.564]The program itself fundamentally has not changed
[00:09:56.620]Beef Quality Assurance
[00:09:58.910]from its inset was a producer driven
[00:10:01.310]producer implemented program.
[00:10:03.560]And that remains true to this day
[00:10:05.790]and will continue to be true in the future.
[00:10:08.440]If you look at the author's list on that new manual,
[00:10:12.370]you'll see that the vast majority of those authors
[00:10:15.202]are producers themselves.
[00:10:17.030]So that tradition will continue
[00:10:19.580]to be a true going forward with the program.
[00:10:24.810]But, the program does continue to grow
[00:10:28.530]and develop in response to those industry needs.
[00:10:31.580]Some things that are coming
[00:10:34.760]or are in process of being implemented.
[00:10:37.370]One of the big things as we've looked at the industry
[00:10:41.690]and gone through those industry audits,
[00:10:44.930]the transportation quality assurance
[00:10:47.773]has become an important component
[00:10:51.160]of quality assurance training.
[00:10:53.790]We started to become aware that
[00:10:56.068]during the process of transport,
[00:10:58.410]we were seeing increased bruising in the packing plant,
[00:11:01.530]which led to increased trim.
[00:11:03.630]When we tracked that back,
[00:11:05.100]we were finding out that
[00:11:08.520]while truck sizes have not changed
[00:11:10.990]in the last decade cattle sizes certainly have,
[00:11:14.214]and that's potentially giving us
[00:11:17.490]some problems in the industry
[00:11:19.050]and that transportation quality assurances is the program
[00:11:24.120]that is looking to address that problem.
[00:11:28.590]Rob actually had,
[00:11:30.118]many of you may have been to a training for this already.
[00:11:33.290]Rob was doing some of those within the last couple of years.
[00:11:38.150]Jesse has been very involved in
[00:11:39.930]that program at a national level.
[00:11:41.540]So I expect that program to expand and grow in Nebraska
[00:11:47.642]as we get him on board as well.
[00:11:49.800]Sustainability is something that's coming to the forefront
[00:11:52.940]as an industry issue now,
[00:11:55.250]and that that had not necessarily been addressed in the past
[00:11:59.360]as a Beef Quality Assurance training topic,
[00:12:01.990]but it is included particularly
[00:12:04.590]from the environmental sustainability environmental,
[00:12:08.180]environmental quality,
[00:12:10.160]issues is included now in Beef Quality Assurance Resources
[00:12:16.300]on antibiotic stewardship or available
[00:12:18.960]on the National BQA website
[00:12:21.595]and in exploring our role as beef producers in maintaining
[00:12:27.250]the efficacy of those products,
[00:12:28.900]not only in our own industry,
[00:12:30.360]but looking at how it affects the human health industry
[00:12:32.900]as well, and exploring how we do our,
[00:12:37.007]how we perform our part in making sure
[00:12:40.410]those antibiotic resources are still something
[00:12:43.580]that we can maintain longterm.
[00:12:47.700]Stockmanship is something else
[00:12:49.280]that there is training resources on the website.
[00:12:53.650]And I expect to see them implement an in person.
[00:12:57.280]A lot of our trainers in the state are already doing this
[00:13:00.050]as part of their client training that stockmanship,
[00:13:05.764]and that emphasis on low stress animal handling
[00:13:08.980]and how that affects health
[00:13:10.280]and how that affects production is really being
[00:13:14.290]concentrated on in some of those trainings.
[00:13:17.570]The other thing that will continue
[00:13:19.320]as part of the BQA program is
[00:13:21.056]that assessment those National Beef Quality Audits
[00:13:24.120]are key components of making the decision on
[00:13:27.530]what topics are critical to address going
[00:13:30.050]forward in the industry.
[00:13:31.760]And so the last one was in 2016.
[00:13:35.590]So my expectation is we're probably coming close to
[00:13:38.730]due for another round of those,
[00:13:40.895]but those will continue to be a critical part
[00:13:44.010]of the BQA program.
[00:13:45.737]Nebraska BQA as a program has a long history
[00:13:50.070]of working closely with our industry partners
[00:13:52.290]here in Nebraska whether
[00:13:53.470]that be the Nebraska Veterinary Medical Association,
[00:13:57.260]Corporate Partners, like a Lanco
[00:13:58.930]who is helping us out today with sponsorship
[00:14:01.240]of the open house or those entities
[00:14:05.210]that help sponsor producer trainings
[00:14:07.670]or train the trainers throughout the state.
[00:14:09.510]And throughout the year, we continue to look forward to,
[00:14:12.802]to having those great partners
[00:14:16.200]and having them help us provide the quality producer
[00:14:20.980]and trainer education
[00:14:22.950]that we've always been able to provide in the past.
[00:14:25.400]So none of those things are changing with all the transition
[00:14:29.820]and the program.
[00:14:33.230]So, Just in wrap up this is also taken off
[00:14:37.180]of the national BQA website at bqa dot org
[00:14:42.320]and some of the pillars of the BQA program.
[00:14:50.520]We feel that empowering people
[00:14:52.320]because producers can make a difference.
[00:14:54.530]You as a beef producer, what you do every day matters.
[00:14:59.590]It matters to your operation,
[00:15:01.550]it matters to the next guy in line,
[00:15:03.480]and it matters to that consumer.
[00:15:05.920]That's ultimately the end consumer of our product,
[00:15:13.100]and then taking responsibility
[00:15:14.850]because it is our job to do things right every day,
[00:15:17.550]not someone else's every small thing
[00:15:22.670]that you take responsibility to do right
[00:15:25.210]in your operation does affect all
[00:15:27.150]those downstream individuals in the chain.
[00:15:30.100]And working together
[00:15:31.030]because ultimately the beef industry is a team.
[00:15:35.610]And if one of us isn't doing our job,
[00:15:38.840]then that has the potential to affect everyone.
[00:15:41.600]So it is working together because that product safety
[00:15:45.860]and wholesomeness is everybody's business
[00:15:47.720]and it affects everybody's business ultimately.
[00:15:54.100]So with that, I will close and take any questions.
[00:15:59.550]This is the current program, contact information.
[00:16:05.960]If you need that.
[00:16:08.010]Like I said before, currently we are working out
[00:16:11.610]of my office here at
[00:16:12.700]the Great Plains Veterinary Educational Center.
[00:16:14.760]I'm in Clay Center, Nebraska.
[00:16:17.420]There is our email once again, it's nebraskabqa@unl.edu.
[00:16:24.460]And the website has not changed it is still bqadotunl.edu.
[00:16:32.040]And then the two phone numbers.
[00:16:33.248]I have my main office number,
[00:16:35.710]If you need to get ahold of my office staff,
[00:16:37.890]that they can help you, or my direct extension,
[00:16:40.990]if it's something that I need to help you with,
[00:16:43.150]if you feel more comfortable going that direction.
[00:16:45.910]I'm happy to talk to you at any time.
[00:16:48.557]If you have concerns
[00:16:53.000]or if you need certification information, give us a holler.
[00:16:56.820]We can help you out with that.
[00:16:58.390]We can get any of that without you need.

The screen size you are trying to search captions on is too small!

You can always jump over to MediaHub and check it out there.

Comments

0 Comments

Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance Update

Description

Searchable Transcript

Comments icon comment

Related Channels

Comments