Pork Quality Assurance (SM) — November and December

Sheldon Veterinary Clinic Supports Pork Quality Assurance^SM

In this edition of Swine Health and Production, we salute the Sheldon Veterinary Clinic, Sheldon, Iowa, as our PQA Partner featured clinic. The Sheldon Veterinary Clinic PQA Partner Team includes Drs. Grant Weaver (ISU ’89), Tim Collison (ISU ’93), Duane Seehusen (ISU ’74), and Keith Rolston (ISU ’64). The clinic holds an annual producer PQA meeting to certify or recertify producers. Though current PQA requirements call for recertification every other year, the Sheldon Veterinary Clinic veterinarians prefer an annual meeting because they like to keep PQA awareness at a peak. The veterinarians also conduct PQA certification and recertification on an individual producer basis where needed.

Dr. Weaver is a strong proponent of PQA, because "when consumers spend money on a product (pork), they expect it to be safe and of acceptable quality, and PQA answers many of the questions they have about pork." Dr. Collison agrees, and says that "because of PQA, producers have increased awareness of the production practices necessary to produce quality pork." As of March 1997, the Sheldon Veterinary Clinic had certified 95 farms at PQA Level III, representing approximately 130 producers and about 200,000 market hogs per year.

–contributed by Dr. Teddi Wolff, AASP Public Relations Committee

Nominations sought

Many AASP members have been involved in Pork Quality Assurance^SM program (PQA) activities since the PQA program’s inception in 1989. The PQA Partner^SM program began in 1995 as a way to enlist the help of pork allied industries in encouraging all United States pork producers to complete the PQA program. In April 1997, the AASP accepted a more structured role in promoting PQA by becoming a PQA Partner. As part of its PQA Partner activities, the AASP will periodically feature veterinary clinics or individuals who have been active in PQA promotion. If a reader would like to nominate a clinic or individual for this acknowledgment, please contact the AASP Public Relations Committee member Teddi Wolff at 800-677-6243,
ext. 9-1586.