4-H members who plan to exhibit in any of the following projects – swine, beef, sheep, dairy, meat goat, dairy goat, rabbits and/or poultry will need to have completed Quality Assurance Certification on or before June 15th. (In 2024, June 15th falls on the weekend. You will have until the next business day to complete YQCA.) Certification will be done through the YQCA (Youth for the Quality Care of Animals) online course. It is found at: yqcaprogram.org. The cost for YQCA is $12 per youth. Again this year the 4-H council has purchased coupons for 4-H members to use! You will not need to use a personal credit card and carry the expense until you receive your premium check. You will need to get coupon codes by calling or emailing the Nemaha County Extension Office. (If you choose not to use a coupon, the expense will NOT be covered by the Council.)
More instructions are available at: YQCA Online Course Instructions (PDF, 8 pgs, 2.67 MB).
Helpful Web-Based Training Video (from YQCA)
Testing out is an option available to youth in the first year of Intermediate (age 12) and Senior (age 15) age levels. There is no test-out option for Juniors. If passed, youth will not be required to complete the annual training requirements for the remainder of their current age level (Intermediates: 12-14; Seniors: 15-18). Each test consists of 50 randomly selected questions and requires a score of 80% or better for certification. Participants will have only one chance to take the test-out option. If youth fail, they will not be provided another opportunity to test out of that age level. Participants who do not pass will be prompted to take the web-based training annually. If the youth passes, payment for the completed test-out course will be required after the completion of the test. No payment is required to attempt the test. Test-out costs are $36 for Intermediates ($12 x 3 years of certification) and $48 for Seniors ($12 x 4 years of certification). Testing out will be done through the YQCA website, not through the Extension Office. The Nemaha County 4-H Council has agreed to provide multiple coupons to cover the cost of testing out. Get coupon codes by calling or emailing the Nemaha County Extension Office.
Nebraska 4-H YQCA Website contains additional information regarding Quality Assurance training.