2024-25 is the 3-year mark for many Wisconsin farmers needing to get recertified in the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program. In 2018, certain packers announced they would only purchase cattle from farms selling finished cattle that are BQA Certified.
The UW-Madison’s Division of Extension and the Wisconsin Beef Council will be hosting in-person Beef
Quality Assurance (BQA) certification meetings over the coming months. A complete list of those meetings can be found here.
Farmers needing to get recertified can also achieve that through two additional options:
- Online by going to https://www.bqa.org/beef-quality-assurance-certification/online-
certifications. At this site, you will logon and choose either the Cow/Calf, Stocker/Backgrounder or Feedyard courses. Once you’ve selected a course, you can work through each lesson at your own pace. The website will keep track of your progress, so you don’t need to complete the entire course at one time. - Continuing Education (CE) Credits: The BQA program is also offering new educational courses
that will provide you with credit towards renewing your certification – this option is only
available to farmers who hold a current BQA certification. By completing three (3) continuing
education credits from the options found on the website, your BQA expiration date will be
extended by an additional three years. Available courses include BQA Transportation (2 credits),
Biosecurity (1 credit), Foundations of Herd Health (1 credit), Principles of Stockmanship (1
credit), and Herd Health Management Practices (1 credit.) The Division of Extension also offers
meetings throughout the year which offer CE credits.
