Arkansas extension stays ahead of the curve, keeping foreign objects from beef production

LITTLE ROCK — As beef production experts have raised concerns over foreign objects, from buckshot to vaccination needles, being discovered in slaughtered cattle in some areas of the country, Arkansas facilities have remained above the fray. Maggie Justice, extension beef cattle specialist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said that's due in part to extension's outreach efforts to educate producers.
Justice is also the Arkansas state coordinator for the National Beef Quality Assurance program.
“The BQA is a nationally coordinated education and certificate program designed to help educate producers to ensure that beef cattle are raised responsibly, with a focus on quality, safety and overall animal welfare,” Justice said. “It’s a set of voluntary guidelines focused on best management practices for all segments of the beef industry. From cow-calf all the way up to feedlot operators and even people transporting cattle.”
In May, an article in the beef industry trade publication Drovers called attention to findings in the most recent national beef quality audit, conducted in 2022 and analyzed in 2023. The audit is conducted by the BQA every five years, Justice said.
Among the findings in the audit, 100 percent of the audited slaughter facilities — none of which were in Arkansas — identified buckshot, birdshot or other metallic foreign objects present in beef from cows and bulls, Justice said.
“From that, 50 percent of those plants reported customer complaints from a further processing plant,” she said, referencing locations that, for example, process beef into hamburger patties for restaurant chains.
“I was in the room at the national BQA coordinators’ meeting last summer when this came to light,” Justice said. “There wasn’t an area of the country we could blame this on. It wasn’t seasonality, so we can’t blame the hunters. But it’s obviously an issue.
“Unfortunately, what seems to be happening is people using shotguns to get animals’ attention and to round them up,” she said.
Justice said that over the years, the Arkansas BQA has worked through the Cooperative Extension Service to address known issues as they arise, and preemptively address other issues being seen outside of Arkansas through education and interaction with the state’s beef producers.

“Having that conversation, not shaming anyone, is so helpful,” she said.
Kirsten Midkiff, extension animal health and wellbeing specialist for the Division of Agriculture, said BQA guidelines set the standard for responsible animal care.
“It ensures that every step—from handling to health—prioritizes the welfare of cattle, which in turn supports sustainable and ethical beef production,” Midkiff said. “The program is a critical framework that upholds the highest standards of animal welfare by promoting responsible handling, health management and ethical treatment practices throughout the beef production process.”
Amy Heck, Cleburne County extension staff chair for the Division of Agriculture, is a member of the Arkansas BQA program, and interacts with beef producers in and around her county regularly. She said the program has helped reintroduce common best practices to her constituents.
“Many farmers do things a certain way because that is how their dad or grandfather did them,” Heck said. “While there is much value in learning from earlier generations, there are some things that can be improved upon. We live in a time in which we have to protect our industry, now more than ever.
“Getting them to realize that people are watching has been a major point I try to make any time I conduct a training,” she said.
Heck said that vaccination protocols, low-stress livestock handling and how many decisions can affect carcass quality are among the things she tries to “drive home” during training events and other interactions.
“At the end of the day it all goes back to profitability, which starts on the farm,” she said.