The Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program is now firmly embedded in the fabric of the beef business. The two principal reasons are that it's the right thing to do, and certified producers are looking to improve their operations.Those are indeed noble, says Jason Ahola, professor of beef production systems at Colorado State University. But there has to be a financial incentive as well. "We all have to realize it's a tough business, and it comes down to profitability. We'd like producers, if they're to spend time doing something, to be paid for it — especially something that's going to help beef quality, beef value and consumer demand," he told me at the Cattle Industry Summer Meeting in Denver.
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