Happy New Year! Hindsight is 20:20…thank goodness! As we head into a new year, things may look very different, but one thing that remains the same is our busy calendar. The first quarter of the year is jam packed for our association as we tackle convention, the SLE Rodeo and attend as many county meetings as possible. We’re also working to lay the groundwork for the year to come, so grab a seat and keep reading for a look as what’s happening at the ACA this week.
ACA Convention & Trade Show
Join us in Jefferson County as we’ll be Branding Up Birmingham during our 76th annual ACA Convention & Trade Show. We’ve got excellent industry speakers including Elanco’s Dr. Sara Place and the United States Meat Exports Federation President Dan Halstrom. They’ll be bringing you all the news on beef sustainability and global beef marketing. Aside from the education, our event will feature a jam-up trade show, youth contests sponsored by the Alabama Beef Checkoff Program and, of course, delicious beef meals.
Get your seat at the table and be sure to join us March 5-6 by registering online now, and don’t forget to book your stay at the Westin Hotel online or by calling (205) 307-3600 and using code ACA. If you would like to be a vendor in our trade show, contact ACA’s Ali Cantrell to reserve your space or register online by clicking here.
SLE Rodeo Tickets Now on Sale
We are 71 days out from the first performance of 2021! Buck on over to www.SLERodeo.com/Tickets now to secure your seats at the greatest show on dirt! This year’s show is sure to please as we’re featuring freestyle bullfighting, the best stock in the PRCA, all kinds of children’s events and hometown rodeo clown, Trent McFarland! We’ve got some awesome ticket deals available for you to take advantage of, so don’t wait. Get on over to www.SLERodeo.com or call 888-2RODEO2 to learn more about all that SLE Livestock Week offers and to purchase your tickets today!
2021 Membership Drive
It’s a new membership year, and we are now recruiting for 2021! ACA Membership Coordinator Jessica Kennedy is working to mail out county supply boxes this week, so county leaders, be on the look out for those! Reporting for 2021 is now updated, and we are working to get all those that renewed or joined online during the holidays updated in the system. We encourage county secretaries to begin submitting members who renewed from the first mail out now. Let’s make 2021 the best yet! If you have any membership questions, contact Jessica Kennedy at our office by calling 334-265-1867.
YCLP Class VII to Hold Last Session
The Young Cattlemen’s Program Class VII will be headed off to their final session this weekend. The class will be going out with a BANG! From farm tours at Town Creek, Mike Dee’s and Eric Smith’s to touring Mississippi State Meat Lab and speaking with NCBA Executive Colin Woodall, this session is no doubt one for the books. This year’s class has had the opportunity to build on their knowledge of the beef industry, networking skills, and enhance their natural leadership abilities.
If you are interested in joining next year’s YCLP class applications are open until January 31st at https://www.bamabeef.org/f/101. We look forward to graduating YCLP Class VII at Convention in Birmingham!
ACA and NCBA “Tele” Town Hall Call-In Meeting
Next Tuesday, January 12 at 5:30 p.m. CST, the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association will be joining forces with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association to host a call-in “town hall” for members of the ACA. ACA Executive Vice President Erin Beasley will supply a state cattle industry and policy update, while NCBA CEO Colin Woodall will do the same on the national level. NCBA’s Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane will also be on the call to cover news on the national policy forefront. If you’re a member of the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association, you are invited to call-in and have your questions answered! You must pre-register for this event in order to receive further calling instructions. Register Now
Junior Cattlemen Update & Save the Dates
The Alabama Junior Cattlemen’s Board of Directors have been hard at work planning and brainstorming for 2021 events. We are excited to announce this year we have not one but two field days on the calendar. We also will be bringing career centered contest back to ACA Convention this year. Please register now online for public speaking, career development, and quiz bowl at https://www.bamabeef.org/Contests. We are also excited to host two ZOOM trainings on building Junior Cattlemen’s county chapters. Lastly, we of course, will continue on the tradition of Round-Up in July!
Please see below events and mark them on your calendar. Stay tunned for more details on the below events!
- Deadline to register for Convention: February 15th
- AJCA Convention Contest: March 6th Birmingham, AL
- Spring Field Day: April 17th Quail Valley Farms – Oneonta, AL
- Building County Junior Cattlemen’s Programs Zoom: May 25th or May 27th at 7:00 pm ONLINE
- Round-Up: July 15-18th Montgomery, AL
- Fall Field Day: September 18th Covington County Arena Andalusia, AL
Alabama Steak Championship
The Alabama Cattlemen’s Association is proud to be the steak sponsor for the Alabama Steak Championship happening at Oak Mountain State Park on January 16! We’re very excited to be a part of this event and happy that Jefferson County Cattlemen Jim Miller and Tim Tate will be joining us as judges for the “Anything Soupy” contest! ACA will have a booth at the location with fun Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner recipes and giveaways.
Beef Cooking Segments in the Works
Speaking of beef, Director of Education & Outreach Ali Cantrell is also getting a jump start on contracts with news stations for cooking segments for 2021. Be on the lookout for cooking segments brought to you on your local tv news station throughout the course of 2021!
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