PORK QUALITY ASSURANCE PLUS® and TRANSPORT QUALITY ASSURANCE®
PQA Plus® was developed by the Pork Industry Animal Care Coalition to be a continuous improvement program. The coalition, made up of pork producers, packers/processors, restaurants and food retailers, dedicated itself to finding a food-industry solution that would give confidence to consumers that U.S. pork is produced in a way that respects animal well-being. PQA Plus® merges the food safety and animal well-being concepts of the original PQA program into three steps: individual certification through education, farm site assessment, and the opportunity for audit that gives customer credibility. For more information on PQA Plus® contact the National Pork Board at 800-456-PORK, or go to that Web site.
TQA was introduced in 2002 by the Pork Checkoff as a quality assurance program designed specifically for transporters, producers and handlers of pigs. It encourages dedication to transporting and delivering the highest quality, safest pork product possible to remain competitive in the global market. The program's mission is to make a positive impact on pork industry animal movement practices through the education and continued training of animal handlers by demonstrating industry-leading techniques which lead to enhanced animal well-being; and quality pork products.
PROGRAM GUIDELINES,
ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION
The Iowa Pork
Industry Center and Iowa State University Extension are teaming up to provide
necessary training for producers for both programs.
PQA PLUS® and TQA® TRAINING
SESSIONS
Each
session is two hours long with a registration fee of $25 per person unless
otherwise specified in the specific entry below, payable at the
training session. Preregistration is strongly encouraged
to ensure
that adequate materials are available for all in attendance. See the individual
meeting entries below for appropriate contact information.
SPECIAL
SESSIONS
A special rate is available for group training sessions. Please contact
the ISU Extension field specialist in your area for more information. Check
the ISU
Extension swine field specialist page for links to your respective
field specialist's contact and other information.
Please
check back for additional listings.
This page is updated as new program dates and information are received.
November 20. Cherokee County Extension Office. 209 Centennial Drive, Cherokee. 3 p.m. To preregister, contact Dave Stender by e-mail at dstender@iastate.edu or by phone at 712-225-6196.
November
23. Forster Community Room. Rock Rapids. 3 p.m. To
preregister, contact Dave Stender by
e-mail at dstender@iastate.edu or
by phone at 712-225-6196.
December 10. Pocahontas County Extension Office. 305 North
Main, Pocahontas. 10 a.m. To preregister, contact Jerry Weiss by e-mail at
weissj@iastate.edu or by phone at
712-335-3103. $25 fee for PQA Plus® or
TQA, or both.
December
14. Hancock County Extension Office. 327 West 8th Street,
Garner. 10 a.m. to noon. to preregister, contact Russ Euken by e-mail at
reuken@iastate.edu or by phone at (641) 923-2856.
December 21. Osceola Community Hospital. Wellness Center Multipurpose Room, Osceola Community Hospital, Sibley. 1 p.m. To preregister, contact Dave Stender by e-mail at dstender@iastate.edu or by phone at 712-225-6196.
November
20. Cherokee County Extension Office. 209 Centennial Drive, Cherokee.
1 p.m. To
preregister, contact Dave Stender
by e-mail at dstender@iastate.edu or
by phone at 712-225-6196.
November
23. Forster Community Room. Rock Rapids. 7 p.m. To
preregister, contact Dave Stender by
e-mail at dstender@iastate.edu or
by phone at 712-225-6196.
November
24. Johnson County Fairgrounds. Montgomery Hall, 4265 Oak Crest
Hill Rd SE, Iowa City. 7 to 9 p.m. To preregister, contact Larry
McMullen by e-mail at lkmcmull@iastate.edu or
by phone at 319-462-2791 OR Tom
Miller by e-mail at tmiller@iastate.edu or
by phone at 319-653-4811.
December
10. Pocahontas County Extension Office. 305 North Main, Pocahontas.
1 p.m. To preregister, contact Jerry Weiss by e-mail at weissj@iastate.edu or
by phone at 712-335-3103. $25
fee for PQA Plus® or
TQA, or both.
December
14. Hancock County Extension Office. 327 West 8th Street, Garner.
1 to 3 p.m. to preregister, contact Russ Euken by e-mail at reuken@iastate.edu or
by phone at (641) 923-2856.
December 21. Osceola Community Hospital. Wellness Center Multipurpose Room, Osceola Community Hospital, Sibley. 10 a.m. To preregister, contact Dave Stender by e-mail at dstender@iastate.edu or by phone at 712-225-6196.
