Iowa Pork Industry Center will Offer PQA Plus 3.0 Advisor Certification Sessions

April 27, 2016 — 

Veterinarians, extension personnel and adult educators in Iowa’s pork industry have the opportunity to become Pork Quality Assurance Plus 3.0 Advisors under the National Pork Board's PQA Plus 3.0 program that will be launched at the World Pork Expo in June. Because the content of this newly revised program has changed significantly, advisors who are currently certified also must successfully complete a 3.0 session if they wish to remain certified as a PQA 3.0 advisor, according to Iowa State University Extension swine veterinarian Chris Rademacher. [Source: IPIC]

“All current PQA Plus advisor certifications will expire on August 31, 2016, regardless of when the advisor most recently certified through the 2.0 program,” Rademacher said. “This also means everyone needs to complete the two-page application form and be approved to attend one of these sessions.”

To help meet this industry need, Iowa Pork Industry Center (IPIC) at Iowa State is offering seven certification sessions beginning in mid-April, led by faculty members who are certified PQA Plus 3.0 trainers.

Rademacher is coordinating this training schedule. Each session has a 15-person minimum and a 30-person maximum, with the application deadline approximately 10 days prior to the specific session date, or when the session is filled. No walk-ins are allowed for any of the sessions and individual spots for all sessions are not guaranteed until specific payment is accepted by IPIC. The cost is $75 per person and includes refreshments and the noon meal.

“Those who wish to become certified or to maintain their certification need to keep their specific session deadline in mind when submitting their application for approval,” Rademacher said.

Those who qualify and are interested in the program should download, complete and submit the appropriate form for their desired session date from the IPIC website at http://www.ipic.iastate.edu/pqaplus3.html. This page also includes attendance availability for each session, and contact information for the program and the application process.

To be eligible to submit an application or recertify as a current advisor, people must meet the following qualifications:

1. Be a veterinarian, extension specialist or ag educator (defined for this program as a person who spends full time in adult education or at least half time in production training) AND
2. Have a D.V.M. or B.S. in animal science (or equivalent) AND
3. Have two years of recent documentable swine production experience.