May 6, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE!
(CLIVE, Iowa) – The Iowa Pork Producers Association is partnering with the Iowa Pork Industry Center and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach to offer free Pork Quality Assurance Plus® (PQA Plus®) and Transport Quality Assurance® (TQA®) programs for Iowa hog farmers.
Special quality assurance training sessions will be hosted at the 2015 World Pork Expo on Wednesday, June 3, and Thursday, June 4. All sessions will be hosted in room A-2 of the Varied Industries Building on the Iowa State Fairgrounds. Interested individuals should pre-register by contacting IPPA at (515) 225-7675 or dricheson@iowapork.org. Session details are as follows:
| Wednesday, June 3 PQA Plus 9:15 a.m. – Noon TQA 1 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. |
Thursday, June 4 PQA Plus – 9:15 a.m. – Noon |
Additionally, PQA Plus and TQA training sessions will be offered in each of the eight IPPA districts throughout the summer.
| District 1 Tuesday, July 7 Sioux County Extension Office 400 Central Ave. NW Ste. 700 Orange City |
District 2 Wednesday, August 26 Humboldt County Extension Office 727 Sumner Ave. Humboldt |
| District 3 Tuesday, August 25 Floyd County Extension Office 112 N. Main St. Charles City |
District 4 Tuesday, August 11 Delaware County Extension Office 1417 N. Franklin St. Manchester |
| District 5 Thursday, June 25 Cass County Extension Office 805 West 10th St. Atlantic |
District 6 Wednesday, June 24 Guthrie County Extension Office 212 State St. Guthrie Center |
| District 7 Tuesday, August 4 Marion County Extension Office 210 N. Iowa St. Knoxville |
District 8 Thursday, August 6 Johnson County Extension Office 3109 Old Hwy. 218 S. Iowa City |
All district locations offer TQA from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. and PQA Plus from 3:15 p.m. to 6 p.m. All sessions are sponsored by IPPA and the Pork Checkoff. Producers are encouraged to pre-register to allow adequate space and materials. To pre-register or for more information, contact IPPA at (515) 225-7675 or e-mail dricheson@iowapork.org.
PQA Plus and TQA are part of the industry aligned We Care responsible pork initiative, which establishes ethical principles for pork producers to produce safe food, protect and promote animal well-being, protect public health, safeguard natural resources, provide a safe work environment and contribute to a better quality of life in their communities.
“Pork producers, their employees and pig transporters continue to show their dedication to continuous industry improvement through certification in PQA Plus and TQA,” said IPPA President Dave Struthers. “These programs, along with the We Care initiative, continue to show our customers the strong commitment we have to food safety and animal care.”