Hands-on workshops will be designed to educate 15-20 producers each on the importance of having and implementing a biosecurity plan. Industry professionals will assist producers in creating individual, customized plans to take home and implement.

Biosecurity is a preventive measure to keep diseases out of an operation and prevent the spread. It is a key principle in the National Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program. BQA provides systematic information to U.S. beef producers on how good husbandry techniques can be coupled with accepted scientific knowledge to raise cattle under optimum management conditions. It is a pillar in the development of Secure Beef Supply, a foreign animal disease response program.

Development of thorough, complete biosecurity plans is integral to the continuance of operations should an outbreak occur. It would allow producers with no evidence of infection to move animals to processing or another premises and maintain continuity of business. A biosecurity plan will allow producers to mitigate production, marketing and financial risk by being prepared and having the proper information available if an outbreak occurs on or near their farming.

Producers will walk away with formal written biosecurity plans and toolkits to help implement on farm. All workshops will begin with Check-in at 8 AM. The workshop will conclude around 2 PM.