AMES, Iowa – The Iowa Pork Industry Center has announced the PQA Plus Advisor certification sessions for the 2026 year. With Pork Quality Assurance version 6.0 now in effect, training is required to maintain certification. IPIC associate director Chris Rademacher organizes PQA advisor certification sessions provided by IPIC.

“Advisors with an expired certification and people wanting to become certified for the first time are required to attend a face-to-face training like this," he said. "Interested and qualified people should complete and return the application form soon.”

The sessions are scheduled to be on:

• Wednesday, January 28, 2026. This will be virtual via Zoom, and the application deadline will be Wednesday, January 21.
• Tuesday, July 7, 2026. This will be virtual via Zoom, and the application deadline will be Tuesday, June 30.
• Monday, October 5, 2026. This will be virtual via Zoom, and the application deadline will be September 28.

For all sessions, registration will start at 8:30 a.m. Central time and the session begins at 9 a.m.

Rademacher, who is also the Iowa State University extension swine veterinarian, leads the sessions and said it takes approximately six hours, including the exam at the end. No spot is guaranteed until the application is approved, and payment is accepted by IPIC. The cost is $100 and includes all materials. Veterinary CEUs will be requested for the sessions.

Qualification requirements are listed on the two-page application form, available as both a fillable PDF document and a Word document from the PQA Page on the IPIC website. Applicants may use either version.

This article was written by IPIC student communications assistant Ella Peterson.

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IPIC was established in 1994 as a coordinated effort of the colleges of Agriculture (now Agriculture and Life Sciences) and Veterinary Medicine at ISU. Its mission is to promote efficient pork production technologies in Iowa, maintain Iowa's pork industry leadership and strengthen rural development efforts. IPIC focuses its efforts on programs that are integral and complementary to ISU Extension and Outreach. Through IPIC, Iowa producers receive accurate and timely information to make their operations more efficient and profitable.