Raised with Respect

​To raise an animal with respect means to care for an animal’s safety, care, and health. The Raised with Respect BQCA training put all of this together and gave attendees the opportunity to put what they learned into practice plus a bit more. The purpose of the day was to give a well-rounded experience that helped to show that how a farmer treats their animal matters and can have a lasting affect all the way to the plate that someone eats off of.
The day began with some opening comments and then we hopped right into a panel focused on the importance of beef quality. Attendees were able to ask the panel members any questions pertaining to why cattle handling and care mattered all the way from the pasture to the plate. The panel was made up of Chef Josh Moore from Volare Italian Ristorante, Chef Zach Wolf from Steak and Bourbon, Carey Brown of the Kentucky Beef Council and moderated by Kirsten Nickles from Certified Angus Beef. Beef quality matters for a lot of reasons; everybody wants a higher quality beef that also has a great look. The Chefs talked about why beef quality matters to them and how they themselves take pride in serving higher quality meats and how they appreciate the work that a farmer does to produce the meats we eat.
Next, attendees went through rotations that covered a wide variety of topics. Outside in the cattle handling facility Kevin Laurent from the University of Kentucky and Ben Lloyd of the Kentucky Beef Network guided attendees through a BQCA chute side training and cattle handling demonstration. This included how to safely and carefully move cattle and work them into a chute, where and how to safely give vaccinations, and all of the biosecurity that goes into working cattle. The next rotation was with Dr. Darrh Bullock and Dr. Katie VanValin from the University of Kentucky going over management practices for cattle care. Some of these practices included managing your cattle’s body condition scores so that they do not become too thin or too overweight, and using EPDs (Expected Progeny Differences) to guide your cattle herd towards a direction that is best for the animal’s care and for the producer as well. The last of the rotations was with Dr. Michelle Arnold with the University of Kentucky where she led a group about Spring vaccination protocols. This presentation gave attendees the opportunity to see the many options there are when it comes vaccinating their cow herd.
To begin the end of the day everyone headed back to the main room where they did their BQCA exams to receive their certifications while also enjoying some great appetizers from chef Josh Moore and Zach Wolf. After everyone had finished their exams, we then were given the amazing opportunity to eat a delicious meal that chef Josh and Chef Zach had made. To round out the night Paul Dykstra from Certified Angus Beef brought a market update that compared past to current prices and where the market was headed.
Overall, this was a great opportunity to get your BQCA Certification, hear some great talks from professionals, and enjoy a wonderful meal. A big thanks goes out to all the attendees, the speakers, Chefs Josh and Zach, and especially to Certified Angus Beef and Sysco.