May 15, 2019
YQCA Requirement for State Shows
The Kansas State Fair Grand Drive and KJLS will require all exhibitors to be YQCA certified or have a current Youth PQA+ number in order to participate in the 2019 shows this fall. All exhibitors who state nominate livestock projects MUST have a current and valid Youth PQA+ certification number or Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA) number at the time of nomination. A copy of each child's YQCA certificate or Youth PQA+ card must be attached to the Declaration Form. Certification(s) must be valid through October 1, 2019 to be accepted. Any nominations received without the appropriate YQCA or Youth PQA+ number will be considered incomplete. The Youth PQA Plus program was discontinued on May 31, 2018. So, youth who need quality assurance certification will need to complete YQCA training. The National Pork Board and the two state shows in Kansas will honor Youth PQA+ numbers until they expire.
There are several methods through which youth may obtain their certification. They may take a $3.00 instructor-led class, complete the $12.00 online course, take advantage of the test out option if they were 12 or 15 years old by 1/1/2019 ($36 or $48, respectively), or use their valid Youth PQA+ number. This program is only for youth 8 and older, so 7 year olds participating in KJLS will be exempt for this year. All participants must sign up through the YQCA website prior to training in order to receive their certificate and official number. Families need to make sure to select an actively enrolled member from the drop-down when registering for a YQCA course. Otherwise, the child will not show up on the extension unit LearnGrow report. Youth need to visit www.yqca.org to sign up, or contact the local extension office for information on local opportunities available. After completing the training, families will need to sign in to their YQCA user account, using the same method they did to register for a class, in order to view and print their YQCA certificate. There are also resource on the program, signing up, and printing certificates on the Quality Assurance tab of the KSU Youth Livestock Program website. For more information, please contact the local extension office or Lexie Hayes adhayes@ksu.edu or 785-532-1264.