NCBA, a contractor to the beef checkoff, has announced the release of the updated Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) National Manual. The manual is a resource for science-based cattle production information and is available here.

“BQA empowers beef producers to maximize their potential to make the most efficient and responsible use of natural resources by effectively producing one of the world’s most nutritious and flavorful sources of protein,” said Clay Mathis, BQA Advisory Group chair and head of the Department of Animal Science at Texas A&M University. “This manual helps drive improvement across the supply chain through adherence to best management practices.”

The publication aims to provide technical information to help producers raise high-quality cattle that produce the wholesome beef consumers demand. It was developed to set production standards for beef quality and safety that are appropriate to an operation and that producers realistically can meet or exceed. In addition to being available online, the manual also is shared at the grassroots level through BQA state coordinators.

More than 30 cattle producers, industry leaders and stakeholders from across the country spent the last year updating the manual based on the latest research, including the most recent National Beef Quality Audit. An abbreviated “Field Guide” version of the manual will be updated and available in the summer of 2025.