June 15, 2020
Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA) Requirement
All exhibitors are required to have quality assurance certification for the 2020 state shows. Youth 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 4, 2020, to be accepted. This is an annual certificateion program. 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 Plus numbers until they expire. Youth only exhibiting purebred, registered females will submit their certification information at the time of entry.
Due to the COVID-19 situation, the most viable option for youth who did not complete the class before mid-March is the online course for $12/child. Youth may also take advantage of the test-out option if they were 12 or 15 years old by 1/1/2020 ($36 or $48). The test-out option is only available to these two age groups (12-year-olds and 15-year-olds), but if they pass the test, their certification will be valid until they advance to the next age division (3 or 4 years, depending on their age). If their number is still valid, exhibitors may use their Youth PQA+ number as well.
This national program is only for youth 8 and older. It was announced earlier this spring that there was an option for 7-year-old certification. However, it requires they participate in a junior-only, in-person class with a parent or guardian. Since face-to-face activities are suspended in Kansas through July 4, youth in this age group can no longer complete the certification requirement. A 7-year-old may NOT take the YQCA online course. This is a transition year for 7-year-old KJLS exhibitors. It is not required for this age group until 2021, so technically, they are exempt this year.
All participants must sign up through the YQCA website prior to training in order to receive their certificate and official number. Visit www.yqca.org to sign up, or contact the local extension office for information. 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. While families will use their 4HOnline credentials to sign in and create an account, they must go through the YQCA website in order to successfully complete the certification process. There are resources on the program, signing up, and printing certificates on the Quality Assurance tab of the KSU Youth Livestock Program website (https://www.asi.k-state.edu/research-and-extension/youth-programs/YQCA.html). For more information, please contact the local extension office or Lexie Hayes at adhayes@ksu.edu or 785-532-1264.