PQA and TQA certification training set in Mitchell, S.D.

BROOKINGS, S.D. - In an effort to meet the continuing certification and re-certification needs of South Dakota pork producers and transporters, SDSU Extension has planned quarterly regional PQA PLUS and TQA certifications trainings throughout the state.

The next certification training will be held July 7, 2016 in Mitchell at the SDSU Extension Regional Center (1800 E. Spruce St., Mitchell, SD 57301).

The PQA PLUS training begins at 1 p.m. (CST) and the TQA training begins at 3 p.m.

"Summer is a busy time of year for all involved in livestock production. Nevertheless, swine caregivers show their commitment to raising safe, wholesome pork by maintaining certifications in the industry quality assurance programs," said Heidi Carroll, SDSU Extension Livestock Stewardship Associate.

Carroll explained that the PQA PLUS the TQA trainings address two consumer priorities, pork safety and animal well-being. "Additionally, packers continue to require swine caregivers and transporters to keep up-to-date on their certifications before accepting hogs," she said. "The commitments to these quality assurance programs by packers, producers, and transporters each contributes to the safety and quality of our pork products."

To register

These trainings are offered at no cost, registration is strongly encouraged to ensure enough manuals are available.

To register for a training or for more information, please contact Heidi Carroll at Heidi.Carroll@sdstate.edu  or  605-688-6623 ; or Bob Thaler, Professor & SDSU Extension Swine Specialist,  Robert.Thaler@sdstate.edu  or  605-688-5435 . Let them know which site you'd like to attend (see list of additional trainings below).

For assistance with directions, the Mitchell Regional Center may be reached at  605-995-7378 .

Programming details

The National Pork Board recently completed their update of the PQA PLUS materials, which now more closely matches the format of the Common Swine Industry Audit.

This SDSU Extension training in Mitchell is the first training to use the updated PQA PLUS version 3.0.

Producers with current certifications are not expected to re-certify in the new version until their certification is up for expiration. However, if producers would like to see what the new version is like, they may attend and still receive certification that has a new expiration date.

Upcoming training dates

Other upcoming 2016 training dates for pork producers around South Dakota include:

PQA PLUS training dates

St. Lawrence, October 13, 2016 held at Willie's Bar & Grill (212 N. Commercial Ave.) from 1 to 3 p.m. (CST)

TQA training dates

St. Lawrence, October 13, 2016 held at Willie's Bar & Grill (212 N. Commercial Ave.) from 3 to 5 p.m. (CST)