The Beef Cattle Institute at Kansas State University has launched a Youth Animal Care Training program. The program features free online educational training modules for youth through high school age. Through participation in the training, youth can improve their knowledge of animal handling, animal welfare, antimicrobial residue avoidance and food safety. After a training package is completed, a certificate is available for printing.  Through the support of Beef Cattle Institute sponsors, the training packages, certification and electronic record of training are offered at no cost to youth.
 
Dan Thomson, assistant dean of outreach for the K-State College of Veterinary Medicine, said, “Training youth is essential for the future of the agriculture industry. It can ensure worker safety, employee retention and production of wholesome products.  We are proud to provide these tools through the generous support of our BCI sponsors.”
 
Youth can work through the multimedia training modules at any time. Once all the modules within a package are completed and the quizzes are passed with 80 percent accuracy or higher, a certificate is available. There is no time limit or deadline to complete the modules and quizzes.
Each package is different in the length of time it takes to complete all of the modules. However, each module ranges from five to 20 minutes long.
      
The current training packages are:

•     Youth Beef Quality Assurance (28 modules)
 
•     Youth Beef Industry Food Safety (7 modules)
 
•     Youth Dairy Animal Care and Quality Assurance (31 modules)
 
•     Youth Humane Equine Management (10 modules)
 
Youth will need to re-certify every three years to keep their certificate for Beef Quality Assurance up-to-date. The system will send an email a month before the certification is up, as a reminder to re-certify. The program is designed to provide valuable online training in various areas of animal care.
 
“The goal of the program is to utilize modern technology to reach youth and provide educational videos for those involved or interested in learning more about beef and dairy cattle and equine to improve animal welfare, food safety and environmental stewardship,” said Abby Jones executive director of the Beef Cattle Institute. “This is a great program for 4-H clubs and FFA chapters to use. “

For more information about Youth Animal Care Training, visit http://www.animalcaretraining.org/youth.