Contact:
Drew Mogler, Producer Education Director
(800) 372-7675
dmogler@iowapork.org
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 pig farmers.
“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 Curtis Meier. “These programs, along with the We Care initiative, continue to show our customers the strong commitment we have to food safety and animal care.”
Special quality assurance training sessions will be hosted at the 2017 World Pork Expo on Wednesday, June 7, and around the state this summer. The expo session will be hosted in room A-2 of the Varied Industries Building on the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. Interested individuals should pre-register by contacting Carla Vanderheiden at (800) 372-7675 or cvanderheiden@iowapork.org.
Session details are as follows:
Wednesday, June 7
TQA – 9:30 a.m. – Noon
PQA Plus – 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Additionally, PQA Plus and TQA training sessions will be offered in each of the eight IPPA districts throughout the summer. Here is the schedule:
| District 1 Monday, July 31 Sioux County Extension & Outreach 400 Central Ave. NW Ste. 700 Orange City |
District 5 Monday, July 24 Cass County Extension & Outreach 805 West 10th St. Atlantic |
| District 2 Tuesday, August 22 Humboldt County Extension & Outreach 727 Sumner Ave. Humboldt |
District 6 Thursday, July 27 Madison County Extension 117 N. 1st Ave. Winterset |
| District 3 Tuesday, August 29 Borlaug Learning Center 3327 290th St Nashua |
District 7 Tuesday, August 8 Mahaska County Extension & Outreach 212 N. I St. Oskaloosa |
| District 4 Tuesday, August 8 Delaware County Extension & Outreach 1417 N. Franklin St. Manchester |
District 8 Tuesday, August 8 Johnson County Extension & Outreach 3109 Old Hwy. 218 S. Iowa City |
All district locations offer TQA from 9:30 a.m. to noon and PQA Plus from 1 p.m. to 4 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 Carla Vanderheiden at (800) 372-7675 or cvanderheiden@iowapork.org, or visit www.iowapork.org. The form can be found under “Producers” and “Quality Assurance Programs.”
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.
-30-