Welcome back! After a few busy week’s here in our home office, we’re excited to be back at blogging to keep our cattlemen and leaders informed about all that’s happening at the ACA. Saddle up for a big read this week as we’ve got LOTS to report on and even more to look forward to as we head into spring! Before we get started on all the news, we’d like to pause momentarily to say- from the bottom of our hearts- thank you for the involvement and passion you bring our association. Our staff has been humbled by the outpouring of support in the wake of a very busy season, and so we tip our hat to each of you for simply being you.
Now, let’s get to the meat of the matter…
We Hoof’d It in Huntsville!
Where to even begin with convention? Wow what a wonderful time of fellowship, updates, education, family fun and networking we had in Huntsville. From the changing of the guard to dancin’ at the Blue Jeans Ball we covered a lot of ground at the 75th annual Convention & Trade Show. After an outstanding year of leadership, Richard Meadows has officially become an “x,” as the past presidents jokingly refer to themselves, and Limestone Countian Jack Batts has officially taken his seat as the 74th president of the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association. Serving in supporting state officer roles are President-Elect Chris Langley, Chambers County; Vice President Larry Reeves, Coffee County, and Executive Vice President Erin Beasley, Macon County. We also installed three new regional vice presidents to serve a three-year term- Thornton Stanley, Rodney Logan and Ronnie Joe Jordan- and one to fulfill a one-year term, Jim Miller. For an updated list of the counties they cover, visit BamaBeef.org/RVP. We were also proud to install Washington County cattleman Tommy Fuller as a lifetime director of our association. Congrats to all of our outstanding leaders!
Besides the many important business matters handled at convention, we 
had lots of fun and received great education. Over 600 cattlemen hoof’d it to Huntsville to enjoy over 90 trade show vendors, four Zoetis Cattlemen’s Colleges, two general sessions, a PAC auction and our annual awards banquet where over 70 students were awarded over $75,000 in scholarships by the Alabama Cattlemen’s Foundation. We were also pleased to celebrate the induction of Dallas County cattleman and national Livestock Market Association President Jerry Etheredge and Limestone County cattleman and ACA Past President Donna Jo Curtis to the Alabama Livestock Hall of Fame. Last but certainly not least, we also awarded Booger Brown, Bubba Thompson and Cody Harris of INSP’s Cowboy Way: Alabama with “TV Personality of the Year” awards for their outstanding portrayal of the cowboy lifestyle and family values on a national television show.
Whew- if that only began to cover it! But it doesn’t, and that’s because we cannot seem to type out the fun, passion and genuine goodness of our cattlemen. HUGE thanks to all who joined us and helped make the 75th annual convention and trade show one of the best yet! Now, grab your pen and mark your calendars for Feb. 15-16, 2019 at the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center for the 76th annual Convention & Trade Show! We’ll see y’all there!!
SLE Rodeo Rides Away
Just like the convention, the 2018 SLE Rodeo has also ridden off into the 
sunset for another year. It doesn’t head out without leaving a mark, though, as we celebrate increased attendance, big laughs and a great show with high-caliber competition! Special thanks to all who came out, attended and helped make our 61st consecutive rodeo a success.
We also celebrate a great week of spotlighting Alabama’s youth in livestock. From an outstanding showing at the 2018 Jr. Beef Expo to awarding scholarships to two youth in each of Alabama’s 67 counties, we are so proud of our next generation! Special thanks tot he Alabama Farmers Federation and Beef Commodity Director Nate Jeager for putting on an excellent state show, and congratulations to Limestone County Junior Cattleman and Grand Champion Market Steer exhibitor Ashlyn Ruf and Coffee County Junior Cattleman and Grand Champion Heifer exhibitor Dow Boyd on two fine animals you raised!
We’d also like to offer a very special thanks to the Poarch Band of Creek Indians (PBCI) who do so much to support our youth in livestock. Each year, two young people from each of Alabama’s 67 counties are awarded a scholarship from the PBCI to aid in future participation in youth livestock events or further education during the Jr. Beef Expo. We proudly presented those scholarships at a Saturday luncheon and are now working to spread the news through statewide press releases in our home office!
Membership Update
Coming off the heels of convention and rodeo, ACA Membership Coordinator Jessica Kennedy is back at her desk and hard at work inputting membership. Her stack is growing- which is a great problem to have- but county secretaries can help out by calling her at 334-265-1867 and scheduling a webinar so they can learn how to input your county’s information! This will help greatly as we approach our Over the Top deadline which is MARCH 31!
Cattlemen Praise ELD Mandate Extension
U.S. Department of Transportation announced that the Electronic Logging 
Device (ELD) mandate will be delayed another 90 days for agricultural haulers:
“This is obviously good news for America’s cattle haulers and producers, and it will provide FMCSA (the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) more time to educate our livestock haulers on the ELDs while industry works on solutions to the current Hours of Service rules that simply do not work for those hauling live animals. We would like to thank Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao and FMCSA Administrator Ray Martinez for listening to our concerns and working with us to find a permanent, workable solution.”
Now we continue in our efforts to find a commonsense approach to fix this problem that could have detrimental effects on the livestock sector.
Spring BEEF 101s Firing Up
With the arrival of spring comes a new set of BEEF 101 programs held in conjunction with the staff at the Auburn University Meats Lab and Beef Teaching Unit, sponsored by the Alabama Beef Checkoff. While this is being typed, a big group from McAdory Middle School Family and Consumer Sciences and Agriscience programs are enjoying a pasture to plate experience at our first of SIX spring programs!
Are you interested in joining in on this program? Give us a call at (334) 265-1867 or email us to see how you can get involved and learn more at BamaBeef.org/Beef101.
Youth Production Field Day
If BEEF 101 doesn’t sound exciting enough, then keep reading! We are 
excited to host a Youth Production Field Day at Langley Farms in Camp Hill, AL on April 21 from 9 AM- 3PM. Educational topics will include body condition scoring, forages, Beef Quality Assurance, assisted calving and even a farm tour of President-Elect Langley’s farm! This event is FREE and open to all Alabama youth. We invite you to register now at BamaBeef.org/ProductionFD. If you have any questions or would like more information, call ACA Director of Industry Relations and Youth Programs Michael Agar at (334) 265-1867 or email him today!
YCLP CLASS V APPLICATIONS NOW AVAILABLE
The Alabama Cattlemen’s Association recognizes the need to cultivate our future leaders of the association and industry. The Young Cattlemen’s Leadership Program (YCLP), funded in part by the Alabama State Beef Checkoff, aims to do just that by identifying the state’s top young cattlemen and developing them into leaders of the future.
The three primary goals of the YCLP are:
- Provide participants with a “pasture to plate” experience of Alabama’s beef industry
- Equip participants with the tools necessary to become an effective leader and to share their beef story with their peers
- Create a network of young cattlemen who the ACA can depend on to help with beef promotion and issues management as well as become industry leaders in the future
The YCLP consists of six meetings dispersed across Alabama over the course of a year. The class will be selected by a committee based on applications submitted. Preference will be given to those nominees who are between the ages of 20 & 40, but do not be discouraged to nominate yourself or someone else who falls out of that range.
If you’re interested in the program or would like to nominate someone, find the form in the December issue of the Alabama Cattleman magazine or print the application.
Visit The MOOseum
As spring arrives, school groups are heading out to enjoy the beautiful weather in downtown Montgomery. With that comes a full scene at The MOOseum! County chapters- we encourage you all to reach out to local fourth grade classes and sponsor their trip to The MOOseum. It’s free to attend, but some assistance in gas costs could go a long way toward teaching our young people about Alabama’s very important beef cattle industry! We’d even love to see you tag along on their trip and enjoy a day with us! To learn more about The MOOseum, visit BamaBeef.org/TheMOOseum!
Thanks for reading this week’s post! Until we post again next week , we want to remind you that you can stay in touch with us by following us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.