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Last Update: May 04, 2010 |
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_______________________________________________________________________________________ Agriculture & Resource Development |
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News & Events
Beef Quality Assurance Training Offered - Spring 2009
CONTACT: Robert Mickel, Hunterdon County Agricultural Agent And Regional Livestock Agent
TELEPHONE: (908) 788-1338Beef and dairy producers are invited to attend a BQA (Beef Quality Assurance) training program offered by the New Jersey Beef Industry Council, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and Rutgers Cooperative Extension. The course consists of two training sessions offered in the evening that will be hosted at sites to be determined later, once potential producers interested in taking the course are identified.
The New Jersey BQA training is coordinated with the Mid-Atlantic BQA Group and will be taught by Bob Mickel, Hunterdon County Agricultural Agent and Regional Livestock Agent. To date, over 171 beef producers across the state have taken the course and have received certification.
The BQA training focuses on improving live cattle handling and husbandry practices to insure the production of quality assured meat and meat products. Issues ranging from humane care, animal health, nutrition, handling, trucking and processing are just a few of the topics covered in the BQA training.
Once the course is taken, producers receive a BQA Certificate, NJ BQA tags and are required to be re-certified every two years by attending a scheduled update training meeting.
The course is free, but registration is required. To register call 908-788-1338 and provide your name, address, telephone and email. After producers register, sites and dates will be designated for the training later on this spring.
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Area Cef Awarded National Beef Backer Honors
CONTACT: Robert Mickel, Hunterdon County Agricultural Agent and Regional Livestock Agent
TELEPHONE: (908) 788-1338Chef Michael Giletto, from the Cherry Valley Country Club, Skillman, New Jersey was honored recently by the New Jersey Beef Industry Council and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association as the “National Independent Beef Backer” category winner, the first winner ever from the state.
The Beef Backer Award Program is sponsored annually by the nation’s cattlemen and the respective state and national associations for excellence in “beef” promotion and preparation for the consuming public through the beef industry $ Check-off Program.
Three categories for Beef Backer Awards are for the “Chain” category, the “Innovator of the Year” category and the “Independent” category for participants from across the country. Chef Giletto was honored at the Annual Cattle Industry Conference in Reno, Nevada where over 5,000 beef and industry producers attended back in February. Chef Giletto won the award for his continued dedication to his clientele at Cherry Valley Country Club by providing the highest quality beef prepared in various ways that according to Chef Giletto, “his exceptional commitment to serving “the best” has kept club members and diners happy”! Chef Giletto serves well over 2,000 pounds of beef every month and stated that “As Chefs, we look for the best ingredients to create the menus we design and I’ve found that the best quality beef allows me to satisfy any diverse palate”. In addition to being a “master chef”, Giletto has promoted beef to the general public, club patrons and fellow chefs via television on “The Digital Cookbook”, demonstrating how to prepare exceptional beef recipes in realistic time and has shared cooking videos with a children’s TV show to help spark kid’s interest in cooking with beef. In 2007, more than 8.66 billion pounds of beef were served in the food service industry across the country. Beef Backer Awards originate at the state level and the New Jersey Beef Industry Council encourages other establishments to enter the Beef Backer Awards Program.
Contact Bob Mickel at 908-788-1338 for details about the Program and Chef Giletto can be reached at 609-466-4244, ext. 116.
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Hunterdon County | Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Hunterdon County | Agriculture & Resource Development