The mission of the Beef Quality Assurance Program is to promote management practices that enable cattle producers to improve beef quality and strengthen consumer confidence in beef as a safe, nutritious, wholesome food product. Program participants receive education and hands-on training to learn about animal health products, feedstuffs, feed additives and medications, care and husbandry practices, and other core practices. The BQA Program also provides systematic information to cattle producers nationwide on production methods and practices for improving beef quality and safety under a wide variety of management and environmental conditions.
BQA-certified calves receive an estimated $1.59 per hundred weight price premium (Montana State University estimate). For approximately 790,000 head of weaned and stocker calves owned or managed by participants in the Texas BQA Program, the increase in gross returns was estimated at $7.2 million for 2011.