August is just scooting by us faster than we know. Before long, stadium seats will be filling up with the sounds of eager fans and cracking helmets, the leaves will change, the temperatures will cool down…wow, that just all sounds like a dream, doesn’t it? Well soon enough that dream will arrive as time moves faster than you think. To keep the time full, your ACA staff is busy planning for those busy fall months. Between county meetings firing up, cattle sale season kicking off soon and our beloved October Beef Month, there is A LOT to think about in preparation. We’re excited about it all, though, and look forward to see you at the many upcoming events. Keep reading to learn more about what’s going on at the ACA this week…
Board Meeting Follow Up
We enjoyed seeing representatives from 44 of our county chapters at last week’s Board meeting! It was a great time of updates, good food and rewarding the hard work of county presidents, secretaries and Top Hand recruiters. We also would like to congratulate Scott McElfresh of Fayette County on winning the John Deere Gator, sponsored by John Deere, SunSouth and TriGreen Equipment! To follow up on other meeting information offered, keep reading these notes from Membership Coordinator Jessica Kennedy!
County Meeting Scheduling
Please EMAIL me (Jessica) your county meeting information (time, date, location, etc.) and anyone you request to speak/attend whether it be a staff member or state officer.
Mailouts – Postcards/Letters
If you need a mailout done please let me know 1-2 weeks prior to the actual date the mailout needs to go in the mail, not two weeks from the date of the meeting. To be sure your postcards/letters get sent in a timely manner, I really do need time to prepare them and give your members ample time to prepare to attend so your meeting is a success!
Supplies
If you need supplies such as napkins and placemats prior to your meeting, please email me the number of members you anticipate, and I will ship them to you. Local counties may pick them up here at the ACA building.
Reports
Unfortunately due to the membership year change, reports will not be available for you to pull until after the first of the year. Until that time please give me a heads-up as to when you need one, so that I can have them to you a couple of days before your meetings.
Leadership Changes
County secretaries, it is your responsibility to make sure you send me the changes to your county leadership after your county meetings. I have to change these on mailing lists, in the magazine, online, etc. I need all contact information – name, address, phone number and the very important email addresses! Email is how we send a majority of our information. If this information is not updated here at the ACA, then those officers are not getting the information they need and we have no line of communication.
Tents and October Beef Month Supplies
If you’re interested in cost sharing a canopy tent for your county, the ACA is 
excited to offer a deal that would get you a shiny, red canopy tent featuring the ACA logo and “Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.” tagline for ONLY $250 to the county. If you’re interested in seeing the tents or purchasing one for your county, contact Ali Cantrell at 334-265-1867 by August 20 if you’d like to get in on the order.
To go under those tents you may need some promotional material to hand out during your October Beef Month event. Please contact Ali at (334) 265-1867 if you have an event during October where you might need a box of beef promotional material. Explain what the event is and its purpose along with what you might need in the box in order to make your event successful.
Also, at the board meeting, Ali introduced the reading book for our Cowboys in the Classroom program called “My Family’s Beef Farm.” Cowboys in the Classroom is an opportunity for producers to visit their local classrooms and educate youth about the beef they consume and where it comes from. One book will be donated to the library of the school for future access to the students. There has also been an addition to the Cowboys in the Classroom program where county leaders can also provide a Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner Coloring and Activity Book. These are two separate books that you can provide to the classroom for the students to enjoy. If you want to participate in the Cowboys in the Classroom Program in your county, please let Ali know how many schools you plan to attend so she can send you these books in time for October.
Bama’s Best Burger Contest Update
The Bama’s Best Burger contest is well on its way to narrowing down our 
eight regional semifinalists to the final four. Last week’s Facebook poll challenge open up the dual between Bentley’s Hartselle’s Cheeseburger and Union Jack Cafe’s Spicy BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger. Bentley’s Hartselle secured their seat in the finals with almost 1,000 votes throughout the week, and now River Cafe of Agder’s Bacon Cheeseburger is going head-to-head with R & R Burger’s (Springville) T-Rex Burger. So far in the voting, R & R Burgers is in the lead!
Next week’s competition will put Heard’s BBQ of Maplesville against 82 West of Union Springs in a dual, while the last week of the month will bring our southernmost competitors, Meat Boss (Mobile) and Our Place Diner (Ozark), to the stage to fight for their seat in the Final 4 Taste Test Challenge.
To participate in the voting, visit the Alabama Cattlemen’s Facebook page and simply click the photo of the burger you’d like to vote for!
Sales Meeting with Wood Fruitticher
ACA Director of Education and Outreach Ali Cantrell traveled to Birmingham on Tuesday to meet with Wood Fruitticher about increasing promotions for October Beef Month. Wood Fruitticher is dedicated to increasing their beef sales during the month of October and enhancing their beef knowledge by sending their new salesmen to a Beef 101 at Auburn on October 23. On Friday, Ali will head to Calera to meet with Sysco for their sales meeting to discuss beef promotion and attend some of their educational breakout sessions afterwards.
Rep. Martha Roby Visits The MOOseum
Congressman Martha Roby took time out of her schedule to visit The MOOseum today. The MOOseum Coordinator Kara Harden invited Rep. Roby to visit as a part of the Invite Congress to Your Museum 2018 initiative hosted by the National Alliance of Museums. We enjoyed the opportunity to tour Rep. Roby around the facility and spend a little time getting some updates from D.C.
Regional Meetings Underway
Regional Vice Presidents are working to get their counties together for a fall regional meeting to visit with ACA staff. Last night, Ashley Catrett organized her counties for a dinner and discussion at the cattlemen’s building in Montgomery. So far, these meetings are being well received as a small setting for the county leaders and state office to discuss strengths, weaknesses and needs. We thank everyone for taking time to organize and attend these dinners. If you are a county president, be on the lookout for your RVP to contact you in the coming months about a meeting. Not sure who your RVP is? You can check them out at www.bamabeef.org/RVP.
State Checkoff Funds Beef Cattle Research
The Alabama State Beef Checkoff will be funding several cattle production 
projects at Auburn University in the coming year. This is one of the valuable program areas that the state dollars can fund. We received 16 practical, collaborative proposals from professors across the College of Agriculture this year, which made the decision on projects to fund very difficult. Proposals focused on reproduction, forage quality, feeding, economics and animal health. Researchers will be notified today if their project has received funding from the committee.
Cattle Judging Field Day
On September 8, the Alabama Junior Cattlemen’s Association will host a Cattle Judging Field Day at Summerford Charolais in Falkville, AL. This youth event is FREE and open to all young cattlemen below the age of 21. Extension Specialist and Auburn Livestock Judging Team Coach Jason P’Poole will be teaching our youth the basics of livestock judging beginning at 9:00 a.m., and after a brief how-to, the participants will judge three classes of livestock (bulls and heifers) and answer questions about them. Lunch will be provided at noon with a farm tour led by Robert Summerford to follow.
To register, visit www.BamaBeef.org/Judge.
BACK TO SCHOOL WITH BEEF
It’s back to school season for little scholars and their teachers! We’d like to 
wish everyone Happy Back to School Wishes and encourage you to fuel those growing brains with the 10 vitamins and minerals found in delicious, nutritious beef! Whether it’s lean school lunches or brain-boosting family dinners you’re in the market for, Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner has all kinds of kid-friendly and delicious meals for families on the go during a new season! Check out theses recipe collections:
CATTLEMEN’S BUS TOUR
JOIN US AS WE EXPLORE THE BEEF INDUSTRY FROM PASTURE TO PLATE!
COST: $325/PERSON (Includes lodging, food and transportation)
FORM & FEE DUE SEPTEMBER 1, 2018
Join us on a 3-day, 2-night tour of the beef cattle industry across Georgia, 
Florida and Alabama! This tour is a true “pasture to plate” experience as it starts off with a tour of Golden State Foods in Opelika where McDonalds burger patties are produced followed by a stop at Buckhead Beef in Atlanta, Georgia where wholesale beef cuts are further processed into cut steaks ready for the restaurant.
After learning what happens to beef once it leaves the farm, we’ll stop for a visit at the Georgia Cattlemen’s Association and then tour Chatel Farms, an FPL feeding facility, in Reidsville, Georgia. We will then head south to tour the Georgia Museum of Agriculture & Historic Village at ABAC, wake up to tour the North Florida Research & Education Center and round out the tour at Southern Cattle Company in Marianna, Florida.
BUS TOUR AGENDA
For more information, contact Michael Agar at (334) 265-1867 or magar@bamabeef.org.
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