Happy Wednesday! It’s a busy week with Auburn and Alabama kickoff games this weekend, calving season beginning and the fall months just around the corner. Cattlemen across the state are gearing up for a busy time of year, but we all need to stop for just a moment to send prayerful thoughts to our friends and neighbors to the west. Many Alabama cattlemen work closely with southeast Texas cattle producers, and as a close-knit community, we have to stand and work together during times of catastrophic loss. Keep reading to learn more about this week’s association work and how you can contribute to relief efforts relating to beef cattle.
Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund- Now Live
As you read this, southeast Texas cattlemen are fighting to protect their herds today while lending a helping hand to community relief efforts. More than 1.2 million head of cattle in 54 Texan counties have been affected by the 46+ inches of rainfall accumulated in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. This historical catastrophe has left families evacuated from homes, interstates submerged in flood waters and cattlemen desperately pushing their cattle to high ground. Cattlemen helping cattlemen is a story known all too well by Alabama beef cattle producers who have been on the receiving end of generous donations during times of devastation in our own home state. That is why the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association has opened a Hurricane Relief Fund through the Alabama Cattlemen’s Foundation to raise money that will be donated to relief efforts relating to beef cattle production in southeast Texas. All donations are tax deductible as the ACF is a 501(c)(3) organization.
Click Here to Donate –> www.BamaBeef.org/HurricaneRelief
ACA REGIONAL MEETINGS
The staff is busy preparing for regional meetings which starting next week. We ask that all county officers try to attend these meetings as we will be doing the following:
- A survey for you to complete to help us plan for convention, magazine and website
- County secretaries will get the first look and some training on the brand new web-based membership program that will be used for the upcoming membership year
We’ll also be bringing October Beef Month supplies, updates, software training and open discussion to your back yard. If you’re interested in an October Beef Month box, you must contact Jessica.
Here are the dates:
9/5 Marshall County Dinner
6:30 p.m. Guntersville Extension Office
9/6 Lawrence County Breakfast
7:30 a.m. Mel’s Stockyard (Moulton)
9/12 Tallapoosa County Dinner
6:30 p.m. First Baptist Church of Dadeville
9/13 Tuscaloosa County Breakfast
7:30 a.m. Heritage House (Tuscaloosa)
9/19 Clarke County Dinner
6:30 p.m. Big Mike’s Steak House (Thomasville)
9/20 Pike County Breakfast
7:30 a.m. Julia’s Restaurant (Troy)
For those planning to attend next week’s meetings in north Alabama, we have to guarantee meals by THIS FRIDAY. If you do not RSVP by Friday afternoon, we cannot guarantee a meal. If you plan to attend, please RSVP to Jessica Kennedy.
Meeting with ADEM
On Tuesday, ACA Executive Vice President Erin Beasley and ACA Director of Industry Relations & Youth Programs Michael Agar attended an Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) meeting to receive updates regarding environmental programs. Topics such as WOTUS were apart of the conversation. Submit your comments on WOTUS here.
Roanoke Stockyard Visit
Today, Beasley and Agar met with with ACA Vice President Chris Langley 
to visit Roanoke Stockyard. This is just stop on a quest to visit every stockyard in the state over the next six months. It’s a packed house today, despite the dreary weather! Special thanks to Chad, Cal and Don Green for many years of great business.
CATTLE JUDGING FIELD DAY
Join the 40+ youth who have already registered for this event! On September 16, youth across Alabama are invited to participate in a cattle judging class with Auburn University Livestock Judging Coach Jason P’Poole, judge a few classes, learn during a questions class and get feedback on their reason-giving skills from P’Poole and ACA’s Michael Agar, an alumni of the Mississippi State Livestock Judging Team. This event is FREE to all youth, and while AJCA membership is not required, it is encouraged.
Registration for the event is now available online. To learn more or to register, visit BamaBeef.org/JudgingFieldDay
Also- save the date for our upcoming Youth Production Field Day as well! This event will be held November 11 from 9AM-3PM at Langley Farms in Camp Hill, AL. We look forward to seeing you at this event!
OCTOBER BEEF MONTH- BRINGING THE BEEF TO ALABAMA
Get ready for an exciting month of beef promotion! October Beef Month
plans are coming together nicely…and we are bringing big things to this year’s month-long promotion efforts. The following programs are planned and will take place during the busy month:
- Ibotta beef coupon promotion
- Social Media takeover on Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram
- Beef Up the Blood Drive at the ACA office in partnership with the Dept. of Agriculture
- Beef Week in Montgomery featuring beef at 5 downtown restaurants
- Beef 101 educational programs
- Cowboys in the Classroom reading program (if you want to request books, contact Jessica at the ACA office)
Here are a Few Handy Links You May Enjoy:
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