Fire up the grill and get ready to spoil your favorite mama this weekend as May brings all sorts of exciting events to celebrate. What are we talking about, you ask? Well, not only is this Sunday Mother’s Day (*hint hint gentlemen*), but May is also National Beef Month, National BBQ Month and National Hamburger Month. That’s four wonderful reasons to break out the grill and enjoy delicious, nutritious beef. Aside from what’s for dinner, Alabama’s cattlemen have a lot going on as we all begin to gear up for hay cutting season. Mother Nature has turned up the heat, and that green grass is soaking up the sunshine and growing taller and more nutritious with each passing day. We hope that while you’re taking a water break, you’ll enjoy catching up with your Cattlemen’s Association and getting the update about all that’s happening this week. Keep reading to learn more…
MOTHER’S DAY WEEKEND
We all know that behind every successful farmer is a hardworking farm wife who can fix a mean fence, tenderly care for a bottle calf and toss square bales with the best of ’em. We all know that behind every kid in the show ring is a mama who is beaming with pride, covered in manure and has a hide comb in her back pocket and a halter in her hand. We all know that behind every delicious dinner is a fine, well-tuned home cook who not only grew the vegetables in the side dishes from her very own garden but also masterfully prepared them to fill you up each night.
We all know that a mother is irreplaceable, unforgettable and undeniably passionate about her family and its well-being. So to all our farm moms out there, our hats off to you. Thank you for the fine example of love, hard work and passion you display and gently sow into the next generation. Happy Mothers Day!
And for all you guys out there who may have forgotten, it’s not too late…breakfast in bed is as easy as it is delicious when you use these prepare recipes from BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com.
MEMBERSHIP & BOARD REMINDERS
County presidents and secretaries be sure to SAVE THE DATE for May 17 as we’ll be meeting up in Montgomery for an engaging, interactive Board meeting we’ve entitled: “Building the Brand: Steering County Leaders Toward Success.” We’re excited to have over 100 registrants for this event! It is sure to be a great day of learning, networking and having all your association questions answered. RSVP to attend by clicking here. Further, let Jessica know who will be attending her i4a membership software training so she can make arrangements for that presentation!
ACA Membership Coordinator Jessica Kennedy is updating county contact information for mailouts and emails. County leaders, please visit BamaBeef.org/CountyChapters today to double check your information. If you find something is incorrect, please call or email Jessica at the office- (334) 265-1867. Information needed includes mailing address, phone number and an email address, with emphasis on the email!
The final renewal notices for 2018 have gone out. If you need help figuring out how to enter memberships in your county, contact Jessica to schedule your i4a training. She will absolutely work around your schedule, day or night, to get you trained! We really need more county participation on the membership entering effort. The quicker county secretaries can learn to enter, the quicker your membership will get entered into the system and start receiving their magazines. We certainly don’t want anyone missing out on those!!
We want to continue to shoutout our Over the Top counties as we are extremely proud of their hard work and true, grassroots efforts. Over the Top counties include Bibb, Butler, Choctaw, Clay, Coffee, Colbert, Conecuh, Covington, Cullman, Dale, Escambia, Greene, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marshall, Morgan, Perry, Russell, Sumter, Washington and Winston counties! Now, this means there will be a very special presentation made at the August Board Meeting…you guessed it…RED COATS! County presidents- if you went Over the Top and do not already have a red coat, we cannot stress enough the importance of going to get fitted for your coat and sending the suggest size into Jessica. The reason why it’s so important you get fitted is because (1) we can’t return the coats should they not fit and (2) we cannot re-order your correct size until the next year…which means you’ll be without for another year!! (Our orders are set at a minimum volume, and we are unable to order just one or two coats at a time.) We know you want that coat just as much as we want to give it to you, so please get sized! P.S. if you’re planning to attend the Board Meeting on May 17, Jessica has a few limited sizes you may try on if you’d like 🙂 Please, send your coat size to Jessica asap!
JUNIOR PASTURE TO RAIL PROGRAM- REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
Speaking of Junior Pasture to Rail, learn more about the program today by visiting www.BamaBeef.org/JP2R. The 2018 Junior Pasture to Rail program will be managed through the AJCA in conjunction with the current Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) Pasture to Rail program. Youth will learn how to retain ownership on their cattle and how to market cattle on the grid. There will be four (4) educational programs beginning in fall 2018 to educate the participating youth about the cattle industry from pasture to plate.
Cattle will be gathered at central locations around Alabama and shipped to Hy-Plains Feedlot in Montezuma, KS. Ear notches will be pulled for BVD-PI testing and calves will be tagged, weighed and graded at that time (frame/muscle score, BCS). Data/results will be provided at the awards presentation for the 2018 Pasture to Rail program. Awards will be given to the top three (3) youth based on profitability in two categories: individual profitability of one (1) calf and the average profitability of a pen of three (3) calves.
Data provided will include carcass data as well as feedlot performance, medical expenses, feed costs, etc.
Program Requirements:
- Youth must be of age 21 or younger by January 1, 2018 to participate
- Youth must be an AJCA, FFA or 4-H member
- Steers are preferred, heifers can be entered but will be at a disadvantage for the program.
- Cattle must be 600-lbs. at minimum on the day of shipment, be weaned and pre-conditioned for 60 days (castrated, dehorned and healed, dewormed) and be vaccinated/boostered for Blackleg, PI3, BVD, BSRV and IBR (modified live).
- A $200 participation fee will be incurred for pens of three (3) or less. A $75/head fee will be added for additional entries.
- Youth must attend a minimum of three (3) of four (4) educational programs to be eligible for any awards.
Calves will be shipped at specified dates between August 2018 to March 2019. In order to ship, calves must meet the aforementioned pre-conditioning requirements. Ship dates and locations as well as educational programs will be communicated as determined.
Registration will close August 31 at midnight.
This program is sponsored by the Alabama Beef Checkoff Program.
Executive Committee Called Upon by President Batts
The ACA Executive Committee will gather at the Cattlemen’s Building on Thursday to prepare for next week’s Board of Directors meeting, discuss upcoming programs and handle other association business. The ACA Executive Committee is comprised of the five state officers, five past presidents and the four outgoing regional vice presidents. The Executive Committee will issue a report at next week’s Board meeting!
MEMBERSHIP GIVEAWAYS
We’ve started a series of giveaways on the ACA Facebook page to encourage cattlemen who need to join or renew to do so soon! This week, our giveaway package includes an ACA tumbler, cap and one of those beloved BEEF tags. The giveaway is now open for entry, and the contest winner will be drawn during the lunch hour on Tuesday, May 15. Anyone who joins or renews now through Tuesday at noon will be entered to win!
Visit our Facebook page and share this giveaway opportunity! Who knows…you may just see several of these throughout May and June…??
BAMA’S BEST BEEF CONTEST
Have you ever tried an unforgettable beef dish served at an Alabama 
restaurant or food truck? You’re not alone if you answered yes because the 3rd annual Bama’s Best Beef contest, which seeks out unique beef dishes in Alabama, brought in over 200 nominations representing restaurants from the Gulf Coast to the Tennessee line and everywhere in between. Our contest committee proudly unveiled our “Roast” and “Variety” finalists this week who are now competing head-to-head in a Facebook photo challenge. In the “Roast” corner is Claunch Cafe of Tuscumbia, AL’s Pot Roast Sandwich, while the “Variety” finalist is Pelham-based Smiley Brothers Speciality Foods’ Filet Kabobs. So far, the Filet Kabobs are taking the lead with 785 votes vs 367 votes on the Pot Roast Sandwich. Contest participants are encouraged to vote for their favorite dish by “Liking” its photo on our Facebook page now through Sunday, May 13 at midnight.
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. Paid for by Alabama Beef Farmers.