Beef Quality Assurance national rancher survey: program participation, best management practices, and motivations for joining future sustainability programs

Till date, with over 137,000 certified members, the most successful rancher educational program has been the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program. The BQA program was established in the mid-1990’s to improve animal health and welfare with a primary objective to reduce the incidence of injection site lesions by instructing producers to administer injections in the neck only. The present study investigated the drivers of this success to inform future rancher education programs around agricultural sustainability. An online multistate survey was administered to cattle ranchers in collaboration with state cattlemen’s associations to better understand rancher motivations for adopting new practices and to gain insight on current involvement in BQA. In total, the survey consisted of 45 questions and was divided into 3 sections: (1) rancher demographics, (2) BQA participation and current best management practice (BMP) application, and (3) willingness to join new rancher educational programs. Data from 842 respondents are including in this study. Of the survey participants, 70% were currently BQA certified or had been BQA certified at one time, and 30% had never been certified. Ranchers who were BQA certified at any time were less likely to administer injections in areas other than the neck compared to ranchers who were not certified (P < 0.05), demonstrating the effectiveness of the BQA program. More than 80% of survey respondents who joined the BQA program stated they believed the BQA program improved animal health and welfare on their operation (n = 617). Among those who had not joined the BQA program, 40% believed BQA practices did not align with their ranching operation, while 38% had not heard of the BQA program (n = 256). The survey indicated that male ranchers, those with more years ranching, those with a larger percent of income coming from ranching, and ranches with larger total acres grazed were more likely to be BQA certified at any time (P < 0.05). Finally, ranchers who were BQA certified at any time were more likely to state that joining a rancher sustainability program would be beneficial to their operation. In conclusion, not only did the survey provide valuable insight into BQA program adoption but highlighted how BQA pedagogy and program structure may be a suitable framework for creating future rancher sustainability programs.