The beef community has a long-standing commitment to caring for their animals and providing families with the safest, highest-quality beef possible. Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) is a program that trains farmers and ranchers on best practice cattle management techniques to ensure their animals and the environment are cared for within a standard set of guidelines across the U.S. beef industry.
What it Means to be Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Certified
Simply put, BQA helps beef farmers and ranchers raise better beef so consumers can feel even better about buying it. But it’s not always that simple, of course. Raising quality beef requires commitment and hard work. Certification is earned, not bought. For beef farmers and ranchers, that means using modern techniques to raise cattle under optimal environmental and economic conditions. For consumers, it means knowing the beef they buy is wholesome and delicious. In fact, more than 85% of U.S. beef comes from BQA-certified farmers and ranchers.
Cattle Care
The beef that farmers and ranchers raise is the same beef they feed their own families, so it’s no surprise that they want the best care for their livestock to ensure everyone has wholesome, safe, nutritious beef.
Herd Health
Farmers and ranchers develop and maintain herd health plans that follow good veterinary and agriculture practices based on scientific research.
Transporting Cattle
When transporting cattle, farmers and ranchers ensure they are handling the cattle in ways that minimizes stress, injury and bruising.
Record Keeping
Farmers and ranchers keep diligent records on the care and treatment given to each animal to ensure the animal’s and public’s health and safety is the top priority.
Cattle Nutrition
Beef farmers and ranchers make sure that cattle have access to an adequate water supply and appropriate nutrition sources.
Environmental Stewardship
Farmers and ranchers monitor key environmental control areas to manage feed and water resources while protecting or enhancing the environment.
Common Sense, Backed by Science
Beef Quality Assurance is better for cattle, better for ranchers, and better for people who appreciate beef’s place in a healthy, sustainable diet. To earn BQA certification, beef farmers and ranchers can take courses online or attend in-person trainings taught by a network of hundreds of state BQA coordinators and trainers. This voluntary program is an example of how the beef community is committed to raising cattle safely, humanely and sustainably. A BQA advisory group is made up of farmers, ranchers, veterinarians, cattle nutritionists, animal and meat scientists, animal welfare experts and industry stakeholders to evaluate and make recommended changes or updates to the program as needed.
Beef Sustainability and Chefs
The journey to deliver high-quality and safe beef requires collaboration from pasture to plate. At each step of the process—from the beef farmers and ranchers who raise beef and abide by Beef Quality Assurance standards to the chefs and restauranteurs who prepare beef in their restaurants there is a strong commitment to delivering high-quality beef that consumers love. That’s why Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. in partnership with Chef’s Roll brought beef farmers and ranchers together with chefs. This video series takes chefs across the beef lifecycle to get a first-hand look at the care that goes into creating high-quality beef. But the journey for quality beef doesn’t stop at the farm or ranch.