Adams Land and Cattle (ALCC) is once again partnering with UNL Extension in Custer County to hold a Youth Animal Quality Assurance Training on Wednesday, May 29 at the Broken Bow City Municipal Building.  This training will meet the requirements for Quality Assurance to show animals at the Custer County Fair, Nebraska State Fair, and AKSARBEN Stock Show.

During the training, participants will move through a series of stations to educate them on Animal Quality Assurance.  All Custer County youth who need Quality Assurance training are encouraged to attend.  Registration will begin at the City Building at 6:15 p.m.

Attendees are asked to pre-register by completing a registration form and returning it to the Custer County Extension Office no later than Monday, April 29.  Forms are available on the Adams Land and Cattle website. All participants will receive a Custer County Youth Animal Quality Assurance Training t-shirt upon successful completion of the program. This training will meet the requirements for Quality Assurance to show animals at the Custer County Fair, Nebraska State Fair, and Aksarben. During the training, youth will move through a series of stations to educate them on animal quality assurance.

Troy Walz, Extension Educator for the Nebraska Extension in Custer County said the goal of Youth Quality Assurance is to teach youth about producing quality meat and food products that come from their livestock.  “Quality assurance for youth livestock producers means making a promise to the consumers, or the people who consume products from livestock, that these products will be the highest possible quality and that the young producers will do everything possible to make these products safe to eat,” said Walz.

“The kids can expect a fun, hands-on experience as they move from station to station learning proper techniques and best management practices” said Amy Staples, Director of R&D and Regulatory Compliance for ALCC.   “Examples of these practices include establishing a herd or flock health management plan, identifying and tracking treated animals, understanding medication and drug labels, and providing proper care to animals.”

Adams Land and Cattle has a strong commitment to animal quality assurance with an internal team dedicated to animal welfare and food safety, as well as required quality assurance training for all employees.  “We wanted to share this knowledge and commitment for animal quality assurance with the community and the youth, so when we saw the opportunity to partner with Nebraska Extension to extend that knowledge base into the community and especially the youth, we jumped right in,” added Staples.

Registration forms can be found by clicking here or can be picked up from the Custer County Extension Office.