Teaching youth to produce safe and quality food is a major emphasis of both the 4-H and FFA programs.
Special Food Safety Quality Assurance (FSQA) trainings will be held at the following locations:
• from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday, March 4, at New Bridge Church, Winterset
• from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 14, at 4-H/FFA Center, Adair County Fairgrounds
• from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 5, at Southwestern Community College Ag Farm
• from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 8, at Southwestern Community College Ag Farm
All youth exhibiting beef, dairy goats, meat goats, rabbits, poultry, sheep or swine at 2017 Iowa county fairs and the Iowa State Fair or AKSARBEN must be FSQA certified.
“We encourage parents to attend with their 4-H or FFA member,” said Donna Wallace, Adair County Extension 4-H program coordinator. “Animal projects usually involve the entire family and we want everyone to be on the same page when it comes to producing safe and wholesome meat, milk, and eggs. The FSQA workshops are engaging and help members apply what they learn to their own projects.”
Youth in fourth through sixth grades need to attend a training each year. Older youth have the option of successfully completing a test if they cannot attend one of the training sessions. Students in seventh through ninth grades can meet the training requirements by passing a test. Passing the test certifies them until they reach the 10th grade. Youth in 10th through 12th grades who successfully complete the test are certified until they turn 20 years old.
4-H and FFA members are encouraged to sign up in advance for the meeting that works best for them. Register by calling the Adair County Extension Office at 743-8412 or 1-800-ISUE399. Members who are in seventh grade or above and would like to complete the requirements by passing the test should call the extension office to set up a testing time.