April 14, 2022
YQCA Requirement for State Shows
Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA) is a national, multi‐species youth livestock quality assurance program that focuses on food safety, animal well‐being, and life skill development, through age‐appropriate educational curriculum for youth 7‐21 years of age. This program is an annual certification that grows with a young person, so the learning modules are different every year. ALL exhibitors are required to be YQCA certified in order to participate in the 2022 Kansas State Fair Grand Drive and/or Kansas Junior Livestock Show (KJLS). This includes youth who will be showing market animals, commercial breeding females, and/or registered purebred breeding females. Families should contact their local extension office to see what options are available in their local area. Everyone planning to state nominate animals are highly encouraged to complete the training as soon as possible.
The YQCA program recently transitioned to a new platform, so families will need to create an account, using the new website: https://yqcaprogram.org/. The program is no longer connected to 4HOnline.
Those experiencing technical difficulties should contact the help desk: help@yqcaprogram.org. Additionally, families need to double check each child is being registered correctly, using their age as of 1/1/2022. Occasionally, the system uses the parent's name as the default, so families need to make sure the correct child is selected before submitting their payment and completing the registration process.
The option is now available for 7-year-olds to register and obtain certification through the YQCA program. They must participate in an instructor‐led class with a parent or guardian. Those who need a web‐based option for a 7‐year‐old exhibitor should contact their local extension office. The YQCA requirement to include 7‐year‐old KJLS exhibitors went into effect in 2021.
Families will be prompted to upload their YQCA certificates into the online system while submitting their state livestock nominations. The system will only ask once, so families need to be prepared to upload it upon entering their first animal. More information may be found on the K‐State Youth Livestock website (www.YouthLivestock.ksu.edu) under Youth Livestock Quality Assurance, by contacting the local extension office, or via Lexie Hayes at adhayes@ksu.edu or 785‐532‐1264.