California Department of Food and Agriculture, Fairs and Expositions requires all livestock exhibitors to complete the Youth for the Quality Care for Animals Program. In order to participate in a youth livestock program at any California Fair, all exhibitors 9 years of age and older must obtain annual certification in the Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA) program. Those not certified are not eligible to participate at a California Fair. NO EXEPTIONS
To meet this state requirement. Agricultural universities as well as partners in the agriculture industry designed this program. YQCA courses are age and level specific which allow for changing content each year. The program is offered online at https://yqcaprogram.org/ All registration, fees, and certifications are managed through YQCA.
The YQCA program has many benefits to exhibitors:
- Increase the educational preparedness of exhibitors
- Adds another layer of quality assurance to improve sportsmanship, animal wellbeing and food safety for animal purchasers.
- Helps demonstrate our commitment to the educational development of exhibitors.
- Provides a nationally available program that any youth exhibitor can access.
This program is becoming nationally recognized so by adopting this program it also allows exhibitors to use this certification for showing at other fairs besides Stanislaus County Fair, such as the California State Fair.
Upon completion of the training, exhibitors will receive a certificate with a unique certification number. Exhibitors can email or print their certificate for show entries. Show managers will be able to utilize the public interface through YQCA to verify the exhibitors certificate number.
All exhibitors ages 9 and older (excluding horses, cavies, and dogs) must have completed the YQCA certification by June 15th. Without the YQCA certificate number your entry will not be complete and thus will be ineligible to show at the fair