The Colorado BQA Program is
managed by a council whose members are derived from the following organizations:
Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, Colorado Livestock Association, Colorado
Department of Agriculture, Colorado State University and Colorado Beef Council.
There are two co-chairs on the
council representing the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association and the Colorado
Livestock Association. Also, as requested by the National Cattlemen’s Beef
Association, each state needs at least one BQA coordinator. Colorado has two
such coordinators: Terry Fankhauser from the Colorado Cattlemen’s
Association and Laura Behrends from the Colorado Livestock Association.
This council and coordinators
design the structure and direct the actions of the Colorado Beef Quality
Assurance Program and all entities associated with it. By assisting producers in
providing a product to all consumers that is safe and wholesome, Colorado’s beef
industry can accomplish the mission of maximizing consumer confidence.
An economic loss of $68.82 for
non-fed beef per animal (National Market Cow and Bull Audit,1999) and a $82.42
loss industry wide per animal (National Beef Quality Audit, 1995) illustrates
the need for a proactive quality program in the beef industry. The focus of BQA
in Colorado and on the national level is heavily based in the education of
producers through statistically-verified information that will be used to
increase the quality, consistency and value of beef starting from conception to
consumption.
For more information about beef quality assurance visit
www.bqa.org
or
http://www.beef.org/library/publications/beef_quality_assurance/index.htm
