Happy New Year! We hope this post finds you well-rested after a busy and full holiday season. We also hope it finds you warm as Mother Nature has really turned down the thermostat in our home state…BUUURRRR. With unseasonably cold temperatures getting cattlemen out early in the mornings to feed hay and bust frozen water troughs, it’s these conditions that make our passion and animal husbandry shine. As we enter into the new year (Geez, 2018 already?!), your Alabama Cattemen’s staff resolves to work harder, promote heavier and go the extra yard for our cattlemen even more so in 2018 than in 2017. What did your New Year Resolutions include?
The New Year brings a new calendar full of events, new programs in the Beef Checkoff Marketing Plan to accomplish and a legislative session to monitor. Keep reading to learn about all that’s happening this first week of 2018.
January Magazine- Coming to a Mailbox Near You!
Boy, oh boy, do we have a treat for you! We’re not gonna say much, but be on the lookout for the January issue of the Alabama Cattleman magazine. They should be in your mailbox very soon…:)
Membership Report
ACA Membership Coordinator Jessica Kennedy is anxiously awaiting
your county leadership updates and county annual meeting photos. She needs the names and contact information of the newest county leaders in order to organize the updating of the magazine and website as well as provide the correct correspondence for important letters and emails pertaining to Board Members. Please send those updates to Jessica! She is also looking out for information on your upcoming county meetings. Send those dates, times and locations her way to get them included on our online calendar and to line up a state representative to attend the event. If you’d like a county meeting mailout done, please give Jessica TWO WEEKS notice. Those mailouts take a good bit of time to design, print and label, so please give us plenty of notice to do a clean, thorough job for your county.
Also- keep an eye out for renewal notices as the second renewal mailout is hitting mailboxes this month.
Last but certainly not least, the i4a membership software training webinars are still happening! If you have not signed up for training please send Jessica the days that are best for you and if you want a 12pm, 3pm, or 7pm slot. Please choose multiple times and days of availability. If you’re not a big emailer, give her a call at (334) 265-1867.
Legislative Session Kicks Off Next Week
The 2018 Alabama Legislative Session begins on January 9. ACA Executive Vice President Erin Beasley is ready to strap on her lobbyist boots and hike over to the State House to play a watchdog role for Alabama’s cattle producers. Leading up to the session, Erin will be participating in legislative seminars this week to gather insight into the upcoming session and meet with legislators on topics of interest to Alabama’s beef cattle industry. Stay tuned for any important updates.
CONVENTION REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
We hope you’ll “Hoof It to Huntsville” on March 9-10 to join us at the 75th annual ACA Convention & Trade Show. We’ve got a great lineup of speakers, fun events and the Alabama cattle industry’s largest industry trade show in the works. Registration is now open at BamaBeef.org/Convention. Be on the look out in your January Alabama Cattleman magazine for more information, including a schedule of events! P.S.- Early Bird Prices are good though January 31. Don’t miss out!
SLE RODEO TICKETS ON SALE NOW
The 61st annual SLE Rodeo is coming to town March 15-17 at Garrett 
Coliseum. PRCA 2017 Stock Contractor of the Year Frontier Rodeo Company’s elite bucking stock, PRCA Freestyle Bullfighting and hometown funny man Trent McFarland are sure to combine to make one excellent show for the whole family! Kids events will be available where your little buckaroo can play in the dirt like a real rodeo cowboy. If you’re in the market for an awesome stocking stuffer idea, you’re in luck. SLE Rodeo tickets are on sale now! Call us at 888-2RODEO2 or visit us online to order tickets to the show and to learn more about the 2018 SLE Rodeo!
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.
Resolve to Eat Lean Beef
The new year often comes with resolutions associated with losing weight, eating healthier or changing your lifestyle altogether. Beef is just what you need to power through those resolutions without sacrificing flavor or fullness. Check out this recipe:
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.