Livestock Quality Assurance Training – 2019
IMPORTANT CHANGE for 2019! — Livestock Quality Assurance is required for ALL livestock exhibitors at the Kansas State Fair and the Kansas Junior Livestock Show. YQCA (Youth for the Quality Care of Animals) is the quality assurance training that meets this requirement. Please see the message below regarding training opportunities. Your remaining options are April 4 for the instructor led training, or online. – Greg
Dear Riley County 4-H Livestock Family,
Two Quality Assurance Training opportunities will be offered for Riley County 4-H members exhibiting market livestock at the Riley County Fair. Training dates, times, and locations are:
- Wednesday, March 13 — 2:00-4:00 p.m. — Clover Room of Pottorf Hall
- Thursday, April 4 – 6:00-8:00 p.m. — Clover Room of Pottorf Hall
Who needs to attend? – All Riley County 4-H members exhibiting market livestock (beef, sheep, swine, goats) at the county fair are required to attend a quality assurance training. ALL beef exhibitors will be required to attend again this year (and annually) to meet quality assurance training guidelines set forth by the packer purchasing our steers and market heifers. Some swine exhibitors who tested out previously will be allowed to skip this year’s training, but most will need to attend. Requirements for sheep and goat exhibitors are less stringent (so far, but that will likely change in years to come). For this year, sheep and goat exhibitors need to have attended a quality assurance training at least once before age 12, then re-certify at age 12 and again at age 15.
Registration Process – All attendees will be required to register online. The training was a new program in 2018. It is called Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA) and there is a fee to participate. The fee to attend one of the live trainings is $3. Online training is available, but the fee is $12 online. Here are the instructions to sign up for either option – online or in person.
Registration Instructions:
- Go to:: https://yqca.learngrow.io/Account/Login
- Create an account or sign in through 4-H online (either should work)
- Choose a course from the Course List (click on your 4-H age)
- After clicking on your age you will be instructed to choose either Web-Based Training ($12) or Instructor-Led Training ($3)
- On the Instructor-Led menu, choose Kansas, then click on Select Training
- Scroll down to either the March 13 date or the April 4 date and click on the Select button
- Click on Purchase Course
- Enter Credit Card information to pay
I will send a list (in a separate message) of members needing to attend the YQCA course. However, everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend, whether on the “required” list or not.
Please feel free to call, or shoot me an e-mail, if you have any questions.
Greg