With roughly 800,000 young people involved in 4-H and FFA livestock projects, there is a sizable number of food animals under the care of youth producers. Some of these young people will continue to be involved in food production on a larger scale as adults and as a result contribute significantly to the food chain.

The purpose of this curriculum is to extend TQM systems, prominently practiced in business, education, and industry, to 4-H and FFA youth involved in pork, beef, lamb, milk, poultry and fish production.

The desired outcome is that knowledge of TQM systems and thought processes will enhance their ability to produce quality, wholesome and safe food products for human consumption. The three underlying themes throughout the curriculum are based on Demmings TQM concepts:

1. As youth produce food they need to focus on the wants and needs of their customers/consumers and to understand how they can impact final product quality.

2. It is important to use resources effectively and efficiently. We focus on human, animal and environmental resources throughout the curriculum.

3. It is crucial the producers improve their problem solving skills and knowledge in order to continually improve their product in this case, food!

The materials to address this were developed by Iowa State University and the University of Nebraska under the leadership of co-directors Deb Hall and Doyle Wolverton, as part of the ES/USDA competitive food safety grant process.

The TQM curriculum is a neatly packaged set of videos and a leader guide with 17 hands-on activities. There are 20 videos, most from 6-10 minutes each, on one general and six species specific tapes. They feature extension specialists along with 4-H and FFA members.

Video Titles Include:

Aiming for Quality (Beef, Dairy Products,Fish,

Poultry Products, Lamb, Pork)

TQM: Planning for Profit

Handling Livestock Safely

Developing My TQM Plan

Giving Injections to Raise Healthy (Beef, Sheep)

Implanting Beef

Milking Techniques

Providing a Quality Environment for (Dairy Cows, Poultry)

Using Chemicals in Aquaculture

Medicating Poultry

Immunizing Swine

Selecting Genetics for Quality Sheep

Using Genetics for Quality Pork

Each of the 17 activities lists the learning objective materials needed, time required (all less than one hour), species, group size and background information needed. The teaching outline then asks participants to:

DO — Watch video and complete one or two hands-on activities or worksheets.

REFLECT — Share answers and discuss as a group what was learned and if it relates to any personal livestock experiences.

USE — As a group, discuss how to improve their practices and ask each to follow up with an activity at home.

Classrooms Extension Educators

Project Clubs Vo Ag Instructors

Community Clubs 4-H Leaders

Camps or Conferences Junior Leaders

Other learning activities

Every state has one copy of the curriculum and materials. Generally they are located in the state

4-H office. Also, all counties in Iowa and Nebraska have copies. The cost is $100 per set with volume discounts over 25. They may be ordered from: