Month: August 2018

Hello August. Goodbye August.

It sure feels like it came and went that quickly, and now we are barreling forward head first toward September and a busy fall season! Fall is not only busy for us with all the activities centered around beef promotion, but it’s a busy time for you as those fall calves start hitting the ground and county events start firing up! We’re excited to hit the roads toward those events, county meetings and cattle sales as it means we’ll get to see you out and about! Keep reading to learn what we’ve been up to this week and what we’ve got in the works here at the ACA state office.

Checkoff Funds Beef Cattle Research

The Alabama Beef Checkoff places a high priority on funding practical cattle production research that will assist producers in the state. Recently, researchers across the College of Agriculture at Auburn University submitted cattle research proposals totaling 15 projects for consideration of funds. After evaluation of the projects, five stood out and received funding to begin work this fall. They are:

1. An Economic Analysis of Productivity and Efficiency of AL Cattle Industry: Best Management Practices and Growth Opportunities (V. Hartarska, D. Nadolnyak, G. Richburg, B. Goodrich, M. Runge)
2. Cottonseed Assessment for Improvement of Beef Cattle Feed Recommendations (K. Mullenix, J. Koebernick)
3. Improving the Reproductive Efficiency of Heifers Using a Combination of Estrus Synchronization, Natural Service and Fixed-Time Artificial Insemination (S. Rodning, S. Dickinson, L. Marks, J. Elmore, M. Elmore, M. Edmondson, J. Gard, F. Biase, P. Dyce, P. Walz)
4. On-Farm Demonstration of Biofertilization in Pastures (D. Held, L. Dillard, R. Muntifering, J. Kloepper)
5. Eradication of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus Using Novel Antiviral Drugs (J. Wower, S. Rodning, P. Walz, J. Sztuba-Solinska, I. Wower)

A Weekend Full of Cattlemen Fun

This past weekend, ACA Director of Education and Outreach Ali Cantrell got the opportunity to see how Alabama puts on a rodeo when she went to both the Pike and Clay County Cattlemen’s rodeos. Both rodeos had a sell-out crowd and a grand ole time. In between the two rodeos, she also attended the ACWA Youth Ag Day and joined in on the fun activities going on with the youth of Wedowee, Alabama. Special thanks to AJCA President Michael Morrison, District 2 Director Christian Meadows and District 2 Director Chelsea Langley for being involved with this event!

ACA Director of Industry Relations & Youth Programs Michael Agar also joined in on the fun but was bested by a mechanical bull at the Pike County Cattlemen’s Western Festival where he drew 3^rd place in their Celebrity Bull Ride. He enjoyed attending the event where he met up with ACA President-Elect Chris Langley fellow staffer, Ali Cantrell.

Michael completed his weekend by attending the Alabama & Mississippi Simmental Sale in Uniontown, AL which featured 17 consignors. Great prices and buyers from across the country made for an excellent sale!

Regional Meetings

On Monday night, Regional Vice President Gene Fernandes gathered his counties for a meeting in Southwest Alabama with ACA staff. Each RVP has been tasked with planning a time and place for county leadership to meet and work with staff. Membership, October Beef Month and grassroots involvement highlight the conversation. The next meeting will be for RVP Jim Jordan’s counties on September 6 at 6:00PM at Western Sizzlin’ in Oxford.

Rep. Bradley Byrnes Reception

Last night, ACA VP Larry Reeves and Erin Beasley attended a roundtable discussion and reception for Congressman Bradley Byrnes in Dothan. Farmers surrounded the table and were given a chance to discuss key issues for the agriculture industry including Farm Bill, trade and for us in livestock, Hours of Service for transporting cattle. Congressman Byrne sits on the important Rules committee in the House of Representatives which decides which bills will make it to the floor calendar.

THE COUNTY LEADER RUN-DOWN

As we approach a busy time of year for counties, Membership Coordinator Jessica Kennedy wants to be sure you’re prepared and that all communication lines are open to make this the most successful year for county annual meetings and events yet!

County Meeting Scheduling

Please EMAIL 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. If you would like for this information to appear in the magazine, it must be sent to Jessica by the 15th of the previous month!

Mailouts – Postcards/Letters

If you need a mailout done please let Jessica 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.

Supplies

If you need supplies such as napkins and placemats prior to your meeting, please email Jessica the number of members you anticipate, and she will ship them to you.  Local counties may pick them up here at the ACA building.

Reports

WE’VE GOT AN UPDATE ON REPORTS! At the county meeting, we had mentioned that the new membership year would affect our ability to supply reports until January 2019. THANKS TO THE DEDICATED WORK OF JESSICA KENNEDY, WE THINK THIS ISSUE IS SOLVED! Now she is busy at work creating individualized county reports. Once they are completed, Jessica will send county presidents and secretaries an email announcing their availability!

Leadership Changes

County secretaries, it is your responsibility to make sure you send Jessica Kennedy the changes to your county leadership after your county meetings.  Jessica has to change these on mailing lists, in the magazine, online, etc. and needs 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.

October Beef Month Supplies

ACA Director of Education and Outreach Ali Cantrell 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 UPDATE

The Bama’s Best Burger contest is in its last week of narrowing down our eight regional semifinalists to the final four. Last week’s Facebook poll challenge opened up the dual between Heard’s BBQ & Soul Food (Maplesville, AL) Signature Burger vs 82 West (Union Springs, AL) Cheeseburger. Heard’s BQ & Soul Food secured their seat in the finals with 595 votes throughout the week, and now the Meat Boss (Mobile) Boss Burger is going head-to-head with Our Place Diner’s (Ozark) Big Bopper Burger. So far in the voting, Our Place Diner is in the lead!

Next week kicks off the Final 4 Taste Test Challenge with a panel of industry judges who will anonymously visit each joint to try out the finalist burgers, which are (as a reminder) Bentley’s Hartselle’s Cheeseburger, R & R Burgers (Springville) T-Rex Burger, Heard’s BBQ & Soul Food’s (Maplesville) Signature Burger with one more to determine this week!

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!

Early Childhood Nutrition Summit

On Tuesday, staffer Ali Cantrell participated in the Early Childhood Nutrition Summit and met with dieticians and nutritionist that are leading the way in assuring child health and well-being in Alabama. She also joined the Obesity Task Force in order to ensure that beef is included in the plan for a healthy lifestyle.

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.

Tailgating Treasures

Break out the shakers, grab your lucky shirt and practice those battle cries…college football season is one again among us! Don’t forget to fuel your game day spirit with the protein-packed goodness of beef. Beef makes a delicious ingredient in those go-to tailgate foods. Got a good queso dip? Add ground beef to include protein in that next bite. Want to make a sandwich or burger? Don’t forget about beloved sloppy joes which …BONUS stay warm in a slow cooker. Need something handheld? Meatballs are the way to go. And don’t forget to throw some beef on top of those nachos! BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com is home to thousands of delicious beef recipes and even a collection built around those Saturdays in a college town. Tailgating Treasures Try out these delicious recipes for kickoff weekend!

Thanks for reading this week’s post! Until we post again, we want to remind you that you can stay in touch with us by following us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

What’s that?! Some relief? A break in the rain? Lower humidity? Is this even Alabama? Is it even August?

Ha! These upper-80 temps are just a little teaser as we head into the fall season. There’s so much to look forward to…especially when considering the fall brings even more exciting elements than football, pumpkins and pretty landscapes to cattlemen. It means calving season!! It’s a time when all the labor is rewarded with new, healthy calves on the ground and wagging tails filling the farmscape as those newborns learn to suck. It’s a rewarding time, an exciting one…and one that we look forward to each year here at the state office. Keep reading to learn more about what our week (and the upcoming fall season) brings for us working every day on your behalf.

Young Leaders Gather for a Weekend in Auburn

YCLP Class V met for their second session of the year on August 17-18 in Auburn. Friday’s agenda was packed with team-building and leadership exercises performed by Dr. Mulvaney as well as the instructors from the AU Challenge Course. The instructors encouraged our young leaders step outside their comfort zone by attempting some of the high-rope exercises at the Challenge Course, which really helped build camaraderie and trust within the group. Collins Farm in Cusseta then hosted the group for a farm tour and dinner at La Cantina in Opelika. We would like to thank Jim Collins and his family for talking to the group not only on his cattle and restaurant but the beef industry as a whole. Saturday’s events consisted of the AU Beef Cattle Conference where the group was introduced to the crowd and able to attend the various industry presentations including a stockmanship demonstration by industry-renown livestock handler Curt Pate.

We look forward to the third session with this group in September. It is amazing how close they have become in such a short amount of time!

Bama’s Best Burger 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 River Cafe and Sports Bar (Adger, AL) Bacon Cheeseburger vs R & R Burgers (Springville, AL) T-Rex Burger. R & R Burgers secured their seat in the finals with over 1,200 votes throughout the week, and now Heard’s BBQ & Soul Food’s (Maplesville) Signature Burger is going head-to-head with 82 West’s (Union Springs) Cheeseburger. So far in the voting, Heard’s BBQ & Soul Food is in the lead!

Next week’s final Facebook poll competition will put Meat Boss of Mobile against Our Place Diner of Ozark in a dualmfor 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!

The County Leader Run-Down

As we approach a busy time of year for counties, Membership Coordinator Jessica Kennedy wants to be sure you’re prepared and that all communication lines are open to make this the most successful year for county annual meetings and events yet!

County Meeting Scheduling

Please EMAIL 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 Jessica 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.

Supplies

If you need supplies such as napkins and placemats prior to your meeting, please email Jessica the number of members you anticipate, and she will ship them to you.  Local counties may pick them up here at the ACA building.

Reports

WE’VE GOT AN UPDATE ON REPORTS! At the county meeting, we had mentioned that the new membership year would affect our ability to supply reports until January 2019. THANKS TO THE DEDICATED WORK OF JESSICA KENNEDY, WE THINK THIS ISSUE IS SOLVED! Now she is busy at work creating individualized county reports. Once they are completed, Jessica will send county presidents and secretaries an email announcing their availability!

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.

October Beef Month Supplies

ACA Director of Education and Outreach Ali Cantrell 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.

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.

October Beef Month Planning in the Works

October Beef Month is just around the corner, as we’ve already mentioned a few times but this week we’re really putting boots on the ground for preparation! On Monday, program staffers traveled to Birmingham to meet with the Visitors Bureau to discuss restaurants to participate in a Birmingham Beef Week event. Today, Ali Cantrell and Erin Beasley met with the Montgomery Dept. of Public Safety Director Ron Sams to select a group to honor for our Beef Day event here in town. Thursday will bring a delightfully tasty day as Ali Cantrell and Kayla Greer will spend the day preparing recipes and doing food photography and videography for some neat recipe videos to feature on social media during October!

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

REGISTER HERE!

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

Thanks for reading this week’s post! Until we post again, we want to remind you that you can stay in touch with us by following us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Well hello there, August. We see you’ve brought some wet weather along with your arrival! While the rain may slow down hay production, it won’t slow down work on the farm, nor will it slow down all the work happening here at the state office! Your Cattlemen’s Association is busy, busy this week with beef promotion, education, The MOOseum tours and planning for next week’s Board meeting. Keep reading to learn all about what’s happening at the ACA this week.

Bama’s Best Burger- 8 Regional Semifinalists Named!

It’s an exciting week as nominations have CLOSED for the 2018 Bama’s Best Burger contest and eight regional semifinalists have been named to move forward into the contest’s Facebook poll bracket challenge! The semifinalists are:

Region 1: Bentley’s Cheeseburger (Hartselle, AL)

Region 2: Union Jack Cafe’s Spicy Bacon BBQ Burger (Rainbow City)

Region 3: River Cafe’s Bacon Cheeseburger (Adger, AL)

Region 4: R & R Burgers’ T-Rex Burger (Springville, AL)

Region 5: Heard’s BBQ Signature Burger (Maplesville, AL)

Region 6: 82 West’s Cheeseburger (Union Springs, AL)

Region 7: Meat Boss’ Boss Burger (Mobile, AL)

Region 8: Our Place Diner’s Big Bopper Burger (Ozark, AL)

If one of these dives are in your local area, stop by, shake their hand, try the burger and get ready to vote beginning August 6 with a Facebook poll putting Bentley’s and Union Jack Cafe head-to-head for a seat in the final 4!  The remaining bracket challenges will follow.

Timeline

• July 23-29: Nominations
• July 30- August 3: Obtain Semifinalist Photos
• August 6-12: Region 1 vs Region 2 Facebook Poll
• August 13-19: Region 3 vs Region 4 Facebook Poll
• August 20-26: Region 5 vs Region 6 Facebook Poll
• August 27- September 2: Region 7 vs Region 8 Facebook Poll
• September 2-28: Anonymous Judging
• October 2: Winner Announced

Off to Denver

For the remainder of this week, ACA Executive Vice President Erin Beasley will be joining ACA President-Elect Chris Langley, ACA Past President Richard Meadows and ACA Past President Jimmy Holliman in Denver for the NCBA summer meeting. At this meeting both policy and national checkoff decisions will be made in preparation for 2019. Chris represents Alabama as the policy director, Richard as the federation director and Jimmy is the policy chair for Region 2 which consists of the Southeastern states.

Beef Promo on the Road…Again!

On Tuesday, ACA Director of Education and Outreach Ali Cantrell has traveled to Destin, FL for the Alabama Grocers Convention to meet and learn from foodservice and retail groups. She took this opportunity to inform these groups about our services and educational programs such as BEEF 101. Upon leaving Destin, she traveled north to Birmingham for the ALACTE Summer Professional Development Conference where she presented to the Family and Consumer Science teachers about the Alabama Jr & Sr. High school state cookoff this spring and encouraged them to get their students involved.

Agriscience Educators

On Tuesday ACA Director of Industry Relations and Youth Programs Michael Agar traveled to Birmingham for the ALACTE Summer Conference to discuss AJCA programs with agriscience teachers from across the state. Michael spent much of his time promoting this year’s AJCA Round-Up as well as upcoming field days and the Junior Pasture to Rail program. We enjoy strong relationships with our ag teachers and appreciate all the effort that they put in to developing the next generation of Cattlemen.

Board Meeting Reminder

Board Members: Don’t forget about next week’s Summer Board of Directors Meeting on August 9 from 10 AM -2 PM. This is not a meeting to miss as we will be awarded red coats to Over the Top county presidents, prizes to our Top Hand Club members and drawing for the John Deere Gator sponsored by John Deere, SunSouth and TriGreen Equipment. If you haven’t already, you have until THIS FRIDAY to RSVP to Jessica Kennedy.

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:

Kid-Friendly Fare

Best.School.Lunch.Ever.

30 Minutes or Less

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

REGISTER HERE!

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

Thanks for reading this week’s post! Until we post again, we want to remind you that you can stay in touch with us by following us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.