VBP+ has been working on some new resources to help make it easier for producers to prepare for certification. The Self-Assessment Field Guide and two new online courses guide a producer though the VBP+ audit criteria to help ensure success.

The Self-Assessment Field Guide is a document that is intended to be taken out onto an operation to help a producer understand how they are performing in the areas of assessment for an audit. The guide lists each area assessed during an audit, with the scoring descriptors for each topic.

The minimum score is highlighted on each question as either a VBP+ Standard or VBP+ Required item. VBP+ Standard items have a minimum score of 1, requiring an understanding and awareness of the area. VBP+ Required questions have a minimum score of 2 and are considered Critical Control Points, meaning records will be requested.

In each scoring table, there is a blank column for a producer to check off their own assessment of how they are performing. Once the producer has gone through the guide, they can review their responses and decide where they might need to make changes or review the VBP+ 2.0 training before scheduling an audit.

The Self-Assessment Field Guide is available on our website on the Producer Reference Manual page.

Going hand in hand with the field guide, VBP+ has created an online Pre-Certification Self-Assessment course through the Canadian Cattle Learning Center. This course offers the same list of required areas and their corresponding scoring, but in a convenient online format that delivers a producer with a summary of their results.

Finally, the VBP+ Certification Process online course is a quick online module on the Canadian Cattle Learning Center that goes over all the steps that a producer must go through to get certified. This is a great resource for producers who are still considering the program and want to know what they are signing up for, or for producers who have started the process and need direction for next steps.

Both the Pre-Certification Self-Assessment and the Certification Process courses, as well as other VPB+ training material, can be accessed by creating a free account in the Canadian Cattle Learning Center. From the Dashboard, scroll down to Featured Courses to find the Pre-Certification Self-Assessment. These two courses are offered at no cost.  

All of these resources will be available in French. For more VBP+ resources, explore our website and stay tuned to the VBP+ blog and social media!