Agricultural News
Oklahoma's Beef Quality Assurance Program At the Forefront of Producing Better Beef
Fri, 10 Aug 2012 12:56:03 CDT
No matter what facet of the food industry one looks at, the effort to improve quality seems to be job one. The beef industry is no exception.
Jeff Jaronek of the Oklahoma Beef Council has spent the last two years working with producers all across the state with the Beef Quality Assurance program. He said the program is as straight-forward as it can be.
"It's really a program to help producers better their management skills to make sure they're producing the highest quality beef that we can. Just really making sure we're doing things right. And, usually, what we find is that producers are already doing most of these things, but I always tell producers there's something that everybody can learn whether it's something they might have forgotten or something new they haven't heard of. It's really just to help them fine tune their management skills."
Though the Beef Quality Assurance program focuses on bring producers the latest information dealing with how to produce the best beef, Jaronek says the program's real beneficiaries are consumers.
"It really lets them know that we're taking the steps, we're out in front of things making sure we're doing everything possible to ensure that that beef that they are eating is of the highest quality, that it's completely safe for them and their families."
He says what's really at the heart of the whole beef industry is the consumer. The Beef Quality Assurance program is just another way of illustrating to them how central the proper care and management of the animals is to the producer
"That's really the foundation of BQA. Consumers want to know more about why we do different practices, how the cattle are raised, how we care for them. They really want to see that operation and what we're doing."
He said BQA is really a way to codify and communicate what good cattle producers have been doing all along. It gives consumers confidence that the best practices are constantly being reinforced.
At the recent Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association convention the Oklahoma Beef Council presented this year's BQA awards. Jaronek said it's a way to honor those individuals and organizations that have dedicated their time and effort to ensure the success of the Oklahoma BQA.
This year's award winners included Priefert Ranch Equipment, Shawnee Feed, Aubie Keesee, Gary and Grady Potter, and Harold and Donna Gillenwaters. You can read more about the award winners by clicking here.
You can see the full "In the Field" segment on News 9 Saturday morning about 6:40.
To hear more of Ron Hay's interview with Jeff Jaronek, click on the LISTEN BAR below.
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