Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA) is a national multi-species quality assurance program designed as an annual education and certification program focused on food safety, animal well-being and character awareness for youth ages 8 to 21 producing and/or showing pigs, beef cattle, dairy cattle, sheep, goats, rabbits, and poultry.
According to the Buffalo County Fair in affiliation with Pepin County Junior Fair Rules: All Dairy, Beef, Sheep, Swine, Goat, Poultry & Rabbit exhibitors must complete the Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA) training each year to be eligible to exhibit their animal(s) at the Buffalo County Fair. Must be complete by July 1st.
YQCA Training Options
- Online curriculum – a youth exhibitor will annually complete three interactive online modules and corresponding quizzes
- Instructor-Led – In-person training (must register online one week prior to the training)
- Online Exam – upon passing an online exam, the youth exhibitor can achieve more than 1 year of certification
2024 YQCA Instructor-Led Trainings
Pre-registration is required for all instructor-led YQCA trainings. Register online one week prior to the training. IMPORTANT: The course pre-test on the “Enrolled Trainings” page, must be complete before attending the training. Following the training, log back in to take post-course survey and access certificate on “Course Certifications” page.
YQCA Training Cost
- $12/person/year for the online modules
- $3/person/year for the Instructor-Led trainings
Access YQCA Trainings
- Online Training – Log into https://yqcaprogram.org view the Help Video or Help Document Web-Based Training and follow the step by step instructions.
- Instructor-Led Training Registration – Log into https://yqcaprogram.org view the Help Video or Help Document Instructor-Led Training and follow the step by step instructions.
Upon completion of the online training, please submit the proof of completion certificate to the Extension office. If you experience issues with the system, with your certification or any technical difficulties, please contact help@yqcaprogram.org.
