The National Pork Board has launched a new Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) program for young pork producers, 9-18 years old.
The program is designed to assure good production practices are followed in raising safe and wholesome pork in 4-H and FFA projects.
“This new program will allow youth to focus on raising high-quality pork in terms they understand,” says Leon Sheets, Ionia, IA, pork producer who chairs the Producer Education Committee.
Youth will need to certify in the new Youth PQA program once their PQA Level III program certification expires.
The youth PQA program includes a food continuum puzzle, ear notching exercise, recordkeeping and proper use of animal care products and needles.
Fact sheets cover ethics in youth livestock programs and food safety. The Youth PQA program reviews the same 10 good production practices that have been part of the pork checkoff’s PQA program since 1989.
The new program can be found at www.porkboard.org/youthPQA.