New BQA Coordinator Connects Research, Industry

At a time when food safety and quality issues continue to make national and international headlines, Colorado State University is solidifying its partnership with the beef industry by hiring a full-time Colorado beef quality assurance coordinator. Libby Bigler, a 2011 CSU graduate with degrees in animal science and journalism and technical communication, began her position as coordinator on September 1.

“As coordinator, I play a critical role in assisting beef producers throughout the state in building consumer confidence in Colorado beef through training and certification,” said Bigler. Read more...

BQA Advisory Statement: Pneumatic Darts

At the Cattle Industry Summer Conference held last July in Denver, CO, the National BQA Advisory committee released a statement regarding the use of pneumatic dart guns for the administration of injectable animal health products. Although there are currently no official BQA guidelines specifically for technologies designed to administer injectable products from a distance, the committee recognized several challenges associated with using such technologies. These include, but are not limited to, the following issues:

• Inaccurate dosing due to inability to accurately assess cattle weights.
• Product delivery in non-approved injection sites.
• Potential for bruising or collateral injection site lesions.
• The possibility of needles remaining in tissue.
 
If you utilize pneumatic dart guns on your operation, keep these potential issues in mind as they may affect carcass quality and/or welfare of the cattle you are marketing.  

Download the complete advisory statement here.

Understanding the Basics: Veterinary Feed Directive

Changing Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations regarding the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) have been a prominent topic of discussion in beef industry trade media. But what do these new regulations really mean for cattle producers, veterinarians and feed distributors? Here is a quick guide to understanding the basics of the Veterinary Feed Directive.
 

1. A VFD will only be required for antibiotics in the feed or water, not injectables.
2. VFDs will only be required for antibiotics considered "medically important to humans", which includes the following antibiotics used in beef cattle:
   • Tilmicosin (currently requires a VFD)
   • Neomycin
   • Tylosin
   • Virginiamycin
   • Chlortetracycline
   • Oxytetracycline 
3. Antibiotics in the feed cannot be fed off-label, even with a veterinarian's consent. This is current law and will not change with the new VFD regulations.
4. Start building relationships with a veterinarian and feed distributor now! The new VFD regulation will be active for all "medically important" fed antibiotics by January 1, 2017.

Nebraska Extension has compiled a three-part series of articles to answer your Veterinary Feed Directive questions. Find more details at the links below:

• VFD Q&A Part I
• VFD Q&A Part II
• VFD Q&A Part III

BQA Trainer Network Provides New Options for Certification

Over the last year, the Colorado BQA program has been working to build a network of BQA trainers throughout the state to assist in training producers at the local level. Trainers have already held BQA workshops in Fairplay, Sterling and Wray, and are scheduling additional certifications. If you are looking to attend or to host a local BQA training, please contact your local trainer.