02/09/07 Beef Quality Assurance road show

Idaho and Washington livestock producers who attended the Spokane Ag Expo this week spent some of their time at a display on Beef Quality Assurance. University of Idaho ag extension beef specialist Jason Ahola says when the traveling display is set up it has three main themes. AHOLA "Product quality and what the consumers are looking for in terms of carcass weight, carcass size and rib eye area, and fat thickness. Then we have one that addresses management techniques that we follow to try to the best product at the lowest price to consumer. The third panel deals more with managing your cow herd and realizing when you need to consider culling a cow and sending her to the market." The display is an Idaho-Nevada-Utah cooperative effort that was purchased with Beef Checkoff dollars from a group in Oklahoma. AHOLA "The way we've kind of labeled it is giving your employees an annual review. So your cows are your employees and annually evaluate them in terms of how are their eyes, how are their utters, how's their body condition score so that way when you market them early you get more money for yourself and you provide a better product to the consumer." He was pleased with the response he's received in Spokane and the invitation to help more producers learn about beef quality by taking in the information in the 40 foot display. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott