The Calf Care & Quality Assurance (CCQA) program today announced its first in-person welfare auditor certification course, set for Dec. 2-3 in Visalia, CA. This training will equip calf care specialists to assess farms and ranches that house dairy, beef, and beef on dairy youngstock for best management welfare practices.
“With cull dairy cows and calves generating at least 20% of dairy farm income — and approximately 70% of U.S. dairy farmers breeding cows to beef semen — no one can deny the importance of the beef on dairy sector,” said Gregg Doud, President & CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation. “CCQA is an opportunity to build a foundation of consumer trust in an exploding market”.
Over the summer, CCQA’s calf facility audit received Professional Animal Auditor Organization (PAACO) accreditation. PAACO provides training and certification credentials for animal welfare auditors and audits for all sectors of food animal production.
Established in 2019, the program supports calf raisers in making thoughtful, informed management decisions that reflect their commitment to their animals, consumers and the broader industry.
The CCQA program brings together expertise and support from the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program, managed by the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s (NCBA) Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program.
The training is open to all individuals with relevant industry experience. To register, please contact bhamptonphifer@nmpf.org. More information about the CCQA program can be found at calfcareqa.org.
The National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program was created by NMPF with support from Dairy Management Inc. in 2009. Program participation is open to all U.S. dairy farmers, cooperatives, and processors. Participants follow rigorous guidelines to ensure the utmost social responsibility on our nation’s dairy farms, while committing to continuous improvement. For more, visit nationaldairyfarm.com.
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