March 21, 2022
By Mary Hightower
U of A System Division of Agriculture
MAGNOLIA Ark. — Arkansas ranchers will have an opportunity on May 13 to either earn certification in the Beef Quality Assurance program or be re-certified during an event led by faculty and staff from the Cooperative Extension Service and Southern Arkansas University.
BQA — May 13 is an opportunity to be certified or re-certified in the Beef Quality Assurance program. (U of A System Division of Agriculture file photo)
The event, which will be held at SAU, has two sessions. The morning session, from 9 a.m.-noon, is for ranchers who wish to be BQA certified. The afternoon session from 1-4 p.m. is for those who wish to be re-certified.
“Participants are welcome to join the morning session only, or afternoon session only, but are welcome to attend both sessions,” said Jerri Dew, Columbia County extension staff chair for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
Participants are asked to call the Columbia County Extension Office at (870) 235-3720 or email [email protected] to RSVP for the sessions/meal they plan to attend by May 6.
The morning session at SAU’s Agriculture Building will be a BQA Certification Course taught by Keith Gresham, Dallas County extension staff chair; Keri Weatherford, Ouachita County extension staff chair; and Dew.
The afternoon session, at the SAU Showbarn Complex, will be a hands-on training. It is considered a BQA re-certification course with sessions led by:
Vaccines — Daniel Rivera, director of the Southwest Research and Extension Center at Hope.
Pregnancy checks — Charles Looney, professor-cattle improvement for the Division of Agriculture.
Low-stress handling — Hunter Burnett assistant professor-animal science at Southern Arkansas University.
Forage testing — Jerri Dew, extension service.
A meal will be provided at noon, sponsored in part by the Columbia County Cattlemen’s Association.
“SAU is excited to partner with the Cooperative Extension Service to provide producers with this opportunity,” said Copie Moore, Ph.D., associate professor of agricultural science at SAU. Moore arranged use of SAU’s facilities for the event.
To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uark.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action institution. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate or need materials in another format, please contact (870) 235-3720 as soon as possible. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay.
BQA re-certification also available