BQA Successes

“The best management practices are actually the most efficient.  With BQA, we spend more time upfront to have a higher quality product and more profitability.” –Bill Mies

“Being involved with BQA has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done because producers totally embraced it.  They embraced the program because it was the right thing to do.  I am proud to work with a group of people who are that responsible that they just want to do what is right.” --Bill Mies

“BQA is an educating program, not a policing one.  We provide the information to producers to prevent potential problems.  We don’t make them do it.”—Dee Griffin

“Today, we have to design our product for the needs of consumers worldwide.  Consumers need to have confidence in the product when they buy it by trusting that our hearts are in the right place. The consumer has the massive benefit of not having to worry about the safety of beef.  BQA helps us guarantee this safety.  BQA is a way for us to have an open book with consumers.”-- Dee Griffin

“One of the first things to happen when BQA was implemented was an increase in profits for producers.  It helped us to identify where the producer was losing money through inefficient practices and decreased productivity.  Producers also benefit from the fact that consumers are confident that we are producing a safe food product.  Overall, it has been a good business process for producers to follow.” -- Dee Griffin

State BQA Program Successes
“The biggest success with the Texas program is that it is a coordinated effort to educate cow-calf producers about safety and quality.  It is a voluntary program that requires producers to come to two separate events, so just for them to take the initiative to complete the training says a lot.” –Ron Gill, Texas

“The greatest success with Beef Quality Assurance in Pennsylvania is that the producers see this as their program and want to make it better.  They can customize the program to fit the needs of their operation.  Producers have a lot of pride in the program.  They often hang up signs on their farm, and recommend participation to neighbors and friend.  Some producers come out to our meetings every year, whether they need to recertify or not, to provide input about emerging issues in the industry and feedback about improving the program.  Each year we distribute more and more of our signature blue ear tags with the state BQA logo on it because producers recognize that it signifies something of importance and value.” –Paul Slayton, Pennsylvania

“The Arizona state BQA program is used across our state’s diverse population by implementation in three languages: English, Spanish, and Navajo.  All written materials are provided in these languages, and hands-on training is facilitated by native speakers.  The Arizona program is also being implemented regionally for the entire southwest to utilize these resources.” –Bob Kattnig, Arizona