Application Deadline For Farm Beef Quality Assurance Award Approaching

Jun 03, 2022

The application deadline for the FARM Program and Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program’s annual joint award is June 10.

The award will recognize an outstanding dairy farmer that demonstrates excellence in animal care and handling principles. Applicants must also demonstrate a strong desire to continually incorporate BQA principles on their farms while encouraging others to implement the producer education program. Winners will receive a round trip to New Orleans, LA to attend the 2023 Cattle Industry Convention and Trade Show.

The FARM Program is a proud BQA partner. BQA is a nationally coordinated, state-implemented program that provides information to U.S. beef producers, including dairy farmers, and beef consumers about how common-sense husbandry techniques can be coupled with accepted scientific knowledge to raise cattle under optimum management and environmental conditions. BQA guidelines are designed to make certain all beef consumers can take pride in what they purchase – and can trust and have confidence in the entire beef industry.

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Video: Back On The Fields | Cutting Alfalfa Hay| Crop Talk

We are cutting our second-cut alfalfa hay! Our machinery hasn't been repaired, but the weather is clear, so we take our opportunity to get back on the fields making hay. The alfalfa crop was ready to harvest, and any delays would result in poor quality feed for our sheep, so we decided to go ahead and get that mower rolling. We have a little crop talk about how we cut the hay with our John Deere hydrostatic mower, how we lay the hay out flat in rows to help it dry quicker, and how the two different plantings in that hay field have developed at varying rates and densities. We discuss the quality of the alfalfa hay and show how differing percentages of grasses mixed in with the alfalfa make a difference in the volume of the hay harvested. Hay is the primary feed source on our sheep farm. Getting it done just right is imperative for sheep farming, sheep health, and sheep care. Quality feed sets the stage for producing productive and profitable sheep and allows for feeding throughout the winter season when pasture grazing is no longer an option for those farmers raising sheep in cold climates such as Canada. While in the hay field, we also have a look at the adjacent corn crop and marvel at how well it has developed in such a short period of time.