Assuring Quality Care for Animals Signature Program

IMPACT. 1: Nearly one-third of Ohio's 4-H projects completed by 4-H members are animal projects. Of those animal projects, approximately 59,000 are food animal projects, 22,000 are companion animal projects, and 10,500 are performance animal projects. -- 2. Quality Assurance training for youth food animal exhibitors was conducted in each of Ohio's 88 counties, resulting in zero (0) drug residue violations statewide in 2013, as reported by the Ohio Department of Agriculture, Division of Animal Health. -- 3. A Truths in Animal Agriculture brochure was developed to bring factual information about animal agriculture to consumers to help them make educated decisions about what they feed their families. More than 900 brochures were distributed to families during the 2013 Ohio State Fair.OSU PARTNERS: OSU Extension: 4-H Youth Development; Agriculture and Natural Resources; Family and Consumer Sciences; Community DevelopmentCOMMUNITY PARTNERS: Agriculture Education and Ohio FFA; Ohio Department of Agriculture; Ohio Fair Managers Association; Ohio Farm Bureau FederationPRIMARY CONTACT: Lucinda Miller (miller.78@osu.edu)Assuring Quality Care for Animals merges Ohio's mandated Youth Food Animal Quality Assurance program with animal handling, care and welfare, expanding the scope of curriculum already in place to address the critical issues of quality assurance, food safety, and animal welfare. Components of this program raise public awareness of the importance of animal handling, care, and welfare in not only farm animal production, but also in the companion and performance animal industry