The purpose of DBQA programs is to educate dairy producers, farm advisors and dairy veterinarians on the issues in market cattle food safety and quality as well as to provide tools for assessing and certifying on-farm quality assurance programs. Programs contain a variety of educational segments including classroom training, videos, slide presentations, and written materials.
The Mid-Atlantic DBQA Program includes both classroom and cow-side training, where specific DBQA management practices are demonstrated. The California DBQA Program has developed a distance-learning course where web-based educational materials and instruction are provided, and demonstrations are accomplished by video. This model is self-paced with feedback at the end of each training section.
The Mid-Atlantic DBQA Program (formerly known as the Northeast Center for DBQA), the Midwest Center for DBQA, and the California and Western States DBQA are longstanding programs that have collectively trained and certified thousands of dairy producers. In addition, many states incorporate DBQA into their overall BQA programs. Funding for these efforts is provided by state-derived Beef Checkoff funds along with national Beef Checkoff support through the Cattlemen’s Beef Board.
These state and regional DBQA programs are voluntary. They are promoted through local leadership and administered through organizations such as State Beef Councils, Land Grant Universities and State Cattlemen’s Associations. DBQA programs link dairy producers with production specialists, veterinarians, nutritionists, marketers and food purveyors interested in maintaining and improving the quality of beef from dairy animals. State DBQA programs chart their own direction, within the context of their overall BQA program.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association provides additional assistance and national leadership. NCBA’s producer education committee continually updates a set of recommended national BQA guidelines from which states base their BQA programs. DBQA guidelines are then adapted to fit the context of dairy animal production.