Animal Husbandry & Quality Assurance

Program Requirements

All youth participating in livestock projects ^[1] are required to complete Animal Husbandry & Quality Assurance training according to the following:

1. If you are a first year livestock project participant, regardless of age or
2. The first year you  reach a new age division:
1. Juniors (ages 8-10)
2. Intermediates (ages  11-13)
3. Seniors (ages  14-18) 
3. Or if you are an Intermediate or Senior and have added a new livestock species, you must complete the program for that species area.
   

Exhibitors required to complete the online quality assurance training must do so no later than the deadline set by YOUR COUNTY in order to exhibit at any fair, festival or show taking place the remainder of that calendar year in West Virginia.

Please reach out to your County Extension Office for details on the deadline for your County's AH&QA training, the system will close on July 31st.

^[1] Dogs, cats and small pets are not considered livestock and are not covered in this training.

Getting Started

• The online training must be completed using Firefox, Chrome or Safari web browsers. Internet Explorer is not supported.

• 4-H/FFA members may access the program https://ahqa.umd.edu/ at any time after it opens (May 10th) until the deadline for completion in your county or when the system closes (July 31st). 4-H faculty and staff may log in to view reports at any time.

Program Access

• Participants are asked to register for the program. All youth participants must register and be logged in for the system to track progress and record completion of the program. Participant status is indicated at the top of the screen. When logged in correctly, the message will read "Logged in: [Participant Name]." If the participant is not logged in, the message will read "Guest."

• When registered, participants will be provided a unique passcode. Participants should write their passcode down and keep it in a safe place! Participants may log out and back into the program at any time and return to the point at which they logged out. No progress will be lost. However, participants must be logged in for the system to record completion.

Training Material

• Participants are asked to respond to questions to evaluate knowledge at different points during the program. Participants are asked to enter their passcode when responding to the quizzes.

• The training features voice narration, so the material is provided in both written and oral formats.

• The training takes about 45 minutes for Juniors to complete and 60-75 minutes for Intermediate/Seniors to complete.

Completion Certificate

• Upon completion of the program, participants should print their certificate of completion and staple it to the inside of one of their record guides.
• Participant progress is securely maintained by state 4-H staff, and county 4-H staff receive notification that participants have completed the online training.

Pre/Post Quiz Assessment Study

• To help us understand what participants learn when they complete the AH&QA training program, we are conducting a study of AH&QA participant responses to the required “Check Your Knowledge” and “What I Learned” quizzes.

• While the quizzes are mandatory for successful completion of the AH&QA course, participation in the assessment study is voluntary. Participant’s names will not be used in the study.

• Please read the Parent Letter containing details about this study.

Questions

Questions about the Animal Husbandry & Quality Assurance Program may be directed to:
Sarah Owen, 4-H Youth Ag Program Coordinator: Sarah.Owen@mail.wvu.edu

The Maryland and West Virginia 4-H and FFA Animal Husbandry & Quality Assurance (AH&QA) Program is an online training program which enables youth to fulfill their Quality Assurance training requirement via internet from their home, school or local library. This program is offered to help youth who participate in 4-H and FFA animal projects in Maryland and West Virginia learn about their role as food producers and the importance of caring for, grooming and showing their animals in safe and ethical ways.

WVU is an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer -- Minority/Female/Disability/Veteran.
In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, and reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs).
The WVU Board of Governors is the governing body of WVU. The Higher Education Policy Commission in West Virginia is responsible for developing, establishing, and overseeing the implementation of a public policy agenda for the state’s four-year colleges and universities.
Reasonable accommodations will be made to provide this content in alternate formats upon request. Contact the WVU Extension Service Office of Communications at 304-293-4222.