The Williams County Agriculture Service meeting room in Bryan Ohio will be the location for a Pork Quality Assurance Plus certification session for pork producers. The program will begin at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 13, 2012. The meeting room is located behind the OSU Extension Williams County Office at 1122 West High Street in Bryan Ohio. Participants can enter the parking lot behind the building from Buffalo Road.
The program, better known as PQA®, was modeled after the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) programs used by food manufacturers to ensure the safety of food products, but customized for on-farm use. PQA was designed to identify the practices with potential to result in a food safety hazard and minimize this potential risk through producer education on relevant on-farm practices.
Certification is valid for three years and producers can recertify at anytime prior to the expiration date on their certificate. Producers that are due to renew in the next year are encouraged to attend.
Pork Quality Assurance Plus is designed to help the needs of pork industry consumers including restaurants, food retailers, and consumers. Pork producers receive training and certification to assure the high priorities are placed on product quality, food safety and animal well being.
Please call the OSU Extension Williams County Office at 419-636-5608 to register by December 11, 2012.