Teaching Nebraska youth about animal care

Nebraska's 4-H and FFA members are in the spotlight at this time of year, exhibiting their livestock and project animals across the state in county shows and fairs, culminating with Nebraska State Fair shows in late summer.

In an industry effort to not only maintain quality animal care from producers but also teach animal care techniques to the youngest producers, Nebraska has worked to develop and administer Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA) programs for many years.

From November to April, Nebraska 4-H certified 1,502 youth. About 50 face-to-face workshops have been held across the state in 2018-19, led by 63 certified trainers, with the majority being certified in the months of May and June. Many families also choose a web-based training option to complete certification.

"Nebraska 4-H has required youth exhibiting livestock, who are 4-H age-eligible from 8 years old to 18, to complete quality assurance programs for many years," says Ashley Benes, Nebraska Extension West Central District 4-H coordinator. "This program has always been multispecies, and trainers were previously certified though the National Pork Board. Nebraska Extension then developed an online training platform to meet training requirements for youth in areas where workshops were not available.”

That's when multiple states with their own quality assurance programs put their heads together to develop the National YQCA program that several states nationwide, including Nebraska, use for their 4-H and FFA members who exhibit beef, sheep, swine, goats, dairy, rabbits and poultry. Youth can complete their certification through training online, at face-to-face instructor-led sessions, or through an online test-out option.

SHOWING THEM CORRECTLY: Young sheep exhibitors show off the best of their project animals at the Nebraska State Fair last summer. Over the past year, more than 1,500 young exhibitors have been certified through the YQCA program.

There are three pillars for the program, Benes says. Food safety, animal well-being and character development are the goals.

"These goals are to ensure safety and well-being of animals produced by youth for showing and for 4-H and FFA projects," she says. "The programs are also aimed at ensuring a safe food supply to consumers, to enhance the future of the livestock industry by educating youth on these important issues so they can become more informed producers, consumers or employees in the agriculture and food industry," Benes says.

"YQCA hopes to maximize the limited development time and budgets of state and national youth program leaders to provide an effective quality assurance program and offer livestock shows a valid, national quality assurance certification for youth livestock exhibitors."

Benes says that YQCA helps youth participants see themselves as producers. "It is important for them to understand how the decisions they make regarding raising their livestock can impact not only that animal but also the industry," she adds.

Learn more by calling Benes at 308-696-6784.