The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, announces the release of the updated Beef Quality Assurance National Manual, which serves as a resource for science-based cattle production information. The manual is available for free at www.bqa.org/resources/manuals.
“BQA empowers beef producers to maximize their potential to make the most efficient and responsible use of natural resources by effectively producing one of the world’s most nutritious and flavorful sources of protein,” said Clay Mathis, Ph.D., Texas A&M University and BQA Advisory Group chair. “This manual helps drive improvement across the supply chain through adherence to best management practices.”
The goal of the publication is to provide technical information to help producers raise high quality cattle resulting in the wholesome beef that consumers demand. It was developed to set production standards for beef quality and safety that are appropriate to an operation and that producers can realistically meet or exceed. In addition to the publication’s availability online, the resource is also shared at the grassroots level through BQA state coordinators.
More than 30 cattle producers, industry leaders and stakeholders from across the country spent the last year updating the manual based on the latest science-based research, including the most recent National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA). The NBQA, conducted approximately every five years, continues to drive continuous improvement in the cattle industry.
An abbreviated “Field Guide” version of the manual will be updated and available for cattle producers and on- farm/ranch workers in summer 2025. For more information, and to view the updated National Beef Quality Assurance Manual, visit www.bqa.org/resources/manuals.
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Background
About Beef Quality Assurance
Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) is a nationally coordinated, state implemented program funded by the Beef Checkoff that provides U.S. beef producers guidelines and certification drawn from common sense husbandry techniques and accepted scientific knowledge on how to raise cattle under optimum management and environmental conditions. BQA reflects a positive public image and instills consumer confidence in the beef industry. When producers implement the best management practices of a BQA program, they assure their cattle are the best they can be. For more information on BQA, visit http://www.bqa.org/.
About The Beef Checkoff
The Beef Checkoff was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The Checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States may retain up to 50 cents of the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national Checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.
About NCBA, a Contractor to the Beef Checkoff
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is a contractor to the Beef Checkoff Program. The Beef Checkoff is administered by the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, with oversight provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.