AMES, Iowa — The Iowa Pork Industry Center at Iowa State University continues to work with industry professionals in offering Pork Quality Assurance Plus 4.0 advisor certification opportunities, including a newly scheduled session for March 20. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach swine veterinarian Chris Rademacher is coordinating the session, which is the latest in a series of certification sessions to help meet industry demand.
“For those eligible for recertification, plan on approximately four hours, followed by an exam,” he said. “Those being certified for the first time will spend approximately six hours of classroom time, followed by an exam.
“We’ve already held several advisor certification sessions, yet we know there are others who need to be certified under the new version of the program,” Rademacher continued. “These sessions continue to help us reach even more who need to be certified as advisors.”
To be eligible to submit an application or recertify as a current advisor, participants must meet the following qualifications:
- 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
- Have a DVM or BS in animal science (or equivalent); and
- Have two years of recent documentable swine production experience.
Those who qualify and are interested in attending the program should download the two-page application form from the certification page on the IPIC website and complete and submit the form soon. The form is available as both a fillable pdf document and a Word document. Applicants may use either version.
This session will be held at the Hansen Agricultural Student Learning Center on the Iowa State campus in Ames. There is a 15-person minimum with the application deadline of either March 6 or when the 30-person maximum is reached, whichever occurs first. No walk-ins are allowed and no individual spot is guaranteed until the application is approved and specific payment is accepted by IPIC. The cost is $85 per person and includes all materials, refreshments and the noon meal. The session begins with registration at 8:30 a.m. and instruction starting at 9 a.m.
Five hours of CE credit have been requested for this session from the Iowa Board of Veterinary Medicine.
— Chris Rademacher, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
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