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Youth for the Quality Care of Animals
(Quality Assurance a.k.a. YQCA)
**Please bring in, email, scan, fax, or mail a copy of your Quality Assurance certificate, that you receive from the YQCA website, to the Saunders County Extension Office!
Nebraska 4-H requires all youth enrolled in livestock projects to complete annual quality assurance certification through Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA). YQCA is a national multi-species quality assurance program focused on three core pillars: food safety, animal well-being, and character development.
2026 In-Person YQCA Training is Scheduled for
June 4, 2026 6:00-7:00pm
at the Saunders County Extension Office
1071 County Road G, Ithaca, NE 68033
What is Quality Assurance?
- The Nebraska 4-H Program and the Saunders County 4-H Program has mandated the Quality Assurance Certification for 4-H members exhibiting BEEF, DAIRY CATTLE, GOATS (Dairy & Meat), HOGS, POULTRY, RABBITS and SHEEP at the Saunders County Fair, Fremont 4-H Fair and Nebraska State Fair.
- Exhibitors are REQUIRED to be Quality Assurance Certified through online certification or in person training no later than JUNE 15th.
- Exhibitors must be certified BEFORE the show season or they will NOT be allowed to exhibit their livestock at this year’s shows; Saunders County Fair, Fremont 4-H Expo, and Nebraska State Fair, without this certification.
- GENERAL OVERVIEW: https://4h.unl.edu/yqca
YQCA Certification Requirements for 4-H/FFA animal project members/students are based on their age on December 31st.
- Junior (8 – 11 years old on December 31st)
- Intermediate (12 – 14 years old on December 31st)
- Senior (15 – 18 years old on December 31st)