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Contact: NJDA Division of Animal Health at (609) 671-6400

Recommendations for Professionals Visiting Livestock Operations
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The Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) is a program to ensure that beef and dairy cattle are maintained in a manner, which will result in a safe and wholesome beef product for the consumer. Specifically, BQA is designed to enhance carcass quality by preventing residues, pathogen contamination and carcass defects such as injection site blemishes and bruises. The NJBQA program is based on recommended national guidelines and scientific research. The goal of the NJBQA program is to increase the quality of New Jersey cattle. This will enable beef producers to enhance their product and maximize marketability.

Maintaining consumer demand for beef requires a commitment to quality beef production -- not just at the feedlot or packing plant -- but within every segment of the cattle industry. This commitment begins at the farm where the calf is born, and does not end until it reaches the fork of the consumer. The way that calf is handled and raised at the farm is just one small part of how the consumer’s perception of quality beef is perceived. That calf may be passed to a stocker-backgrounder or feedlot for additional finishing before ending up at the harvesting facility. It’s the responsibility of all segments in the cattle industry to use the best management practices to ensure a quality product that is wholesome and safe, and exceeds consumer expectations. Implementing a BQA program on the farm is worth the effort and helps to ensure the future success of the cattle industry. It also sets a standard for quality beef that upholds the tradition of the beef industry and enhances the reputation of beef.

Objectives


1. Set production standards in the operation, which meet or exceed the National Cattlemen's Beef Association BQA guidelines.

2. Provide technical assistance through Rutgers Cooperative Extension and New Jersey Department of Agriculture.