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As we begin a new year, we review and
refocus for the
upcoming season. In keeping with this yea’rs theme,
Meeting Our Challenges, we will highlight the year’s
milestones and address what’s ahead for the Verified Beef
Production - Quality Starts Here program (VBP-QSH).
The main driver of increasing uptake this year was the
Market Access Program. Over 100,000 calves received tag
credit funding this past year. Working through both Beef
Improvement Ontario (BIO) and the Canadian Cattle
Identification Agency (CCIA) provided us opportunities to
understand challenges in program delivery. The VBP-QSH
workshop was one prerequisite of the MAP program and
we held 85 workshops throughout the year for over 1200
producers. These were facilitated by Ron Wooddisse and
myself in various locations across the province. The
workshop format included food safety record keeping
instruction, review of standard operating procedures,
and training on injection sites and techniques. Course
fee has stayed consistent over our four years at $50.
Additional funding assistance through our program has
helped deliver up to $750 back to over 70 production
units that have bought eligible equipment. These
include Radio Frequency (RFID) readers, software to
manage on farm recording, medical waste storage
equipment, scales to weigh medicated feed ingredients,
and cattle chutes equipped with neck extenders to
promote safe injection practices.
But, possibly the greatest advantage our program can offer
is the alliance with branded beef programs. Specific value
chain programs have incorporated our workshop training
into their requirements for participation. With our
nationally-recognized program, our trained producers
offer increased product credibility to supply chain
partners and consumers. With the introduction of farm
gate signs and the addition of two more trained auditors,
the process of certification is being embraced by a
greater percentage of our database. Agreements with
the Ontario Corn-Fed Beef program and the Kerr Farm
group should show an increase in registrations in the
upcoming year.
As always, the pleasure to work with progressive
producers on program delivery has been ours and we
look forward to a robust year of activity with in the
Verified Beef Production Program. For further details
please rattle the chain of Ron Wooddisse or myself, or
contact the OCA office staff to facilitate applications. |
