Month: March 2019

Springtime is in full bloom in Alabama! Cool mornings, warm afternoons and all that ever-lovin’ pollen…bad on the allergies, but oh so good on the spirits! With the spring returns some of the normalcy at the ACA office as we have convention, rodeo and county annual meetings in the rear view and look forward to summer events, beef promotion and all sorts of youth activities coming our way! Keep reading to learn more…

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Green New Deal Fails on Senate Floor

The Green New Deal was put to a vote on the Senate floor yesterday and failed 0-57. Although 43 democrats voted “present,” three did vote no, including Alabama Sen. Doug Jones. The Green New Deal, a non-binding resolution, was proposed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and promises to eliminate all U.S. carbon emissions while remaking the U.S. economy. “The Green New Deal suggests we ditch air travel in favor of railroads, rebuild the nation’s buildings entirely, provide every person with a living family wage, socialized healthcare and more.” said Amanda Radke, a BEEF magazine contributor. The ACA will stay actively engaged in this topic as it is a direct threat to American agriculture and targets the beef cattle industry.

 

 

2019 Spring Youth Production Field Day Announced

We’re proud to announced that the Alabama Beef Checkoff will be hosting its Spring Youth Production Field Day on Friday, April 26 at Perdido River Farms in Atmore! The event will be held this year on a weekday as voted on by the Junior Board as a way to be more inclusive to FFA groups and agriscience classes who have a hard time obtaining permission and/or logistics for weekend field trips.

Join us for a day of interactive, hands-on learning about timely topics including hay testing, soil sampling, figuring stocker capacity, annual cow checks, handling and administering vaccines and a farm tour of Perdido River Farms! Registration is now open online for this FREE event at www.BamaBeef.org/FieldDay.

 

 

ACF Scholarship Banquet Success

We were thrilled by the events of Saturday evening’s first-ever Alabama Cattlemen’s Foundation Scholarship Banquet held at the Wetumpka Civic Center here in central Alabama. Almost 50 of the 74 students awarded scholarships were in attendance with their families, and we were honored to also have with us the families of each of the endowed scholarships. Also in attendance were Commissioner Rick Pate, Auburn Agriculture Dean Dr. Paul Patterson and Auburn Department of Animal Sciences Head Dr. Wayne Greene, all of whom helped present the tag scholarships! More detailed coverage of the event will be in the May issue of the Alabama Cattleman magazine, so keep an eye out for your favorite scholar! Also, early this week, individualized press releases were sent to each recipient’s hometown, so be watching your local papers for those shining faces. Congrats to all!

 

 

Ag in the Classroom

On Wednesday, ACA Director of Education & Outreach Ali Cantrell met with ALFA to gear up for Alabama Ag in the Classroom Summer Institute 2019. This program is a workshop for full-time teachers, Alabama Cooperative Extension system agents and coordinators to help incorporate integrated agricultural activities in the classroom. Most activities will be geared toward grades K-6. The Summer Institute will be hosted in Florence, AL on May 29-31 and will include field trips to farms in the area to develop a better understanding of the everyday farm.

 

Headed to The Hill

ACA President Chris Langley, President-Elect Larry Reeves and Vice President Clay Kennamer will join Erin Beasley at the NCBA Legislative Conference next week in Washington D.C. They will also be joined by Region 2 Policy VP Jimmy Holliman and Evelyn Greene, American National CattleWomen president-elect. Wednesday will be full of Hill visits with the Alabama delegation to discuss cattle industry issues.

 

 

Cattle By-Products Talk

On Friday, staffer Ali Cantrell will be traveling to Goodwin High School in Montgomery to give a presentation about the different by-products that come from cattle. She will give an overview of the history of beef cattle in Alabama and talk about the everyday utilization of beef outside of just on the plate!

 

 

Bama’s Best Beef Getting Ready to Fire Up

Know of a beef dish that’s worth writing home about? Is it “slap ya mama” good? WE WANT TO HEAR ABOUT IT during this year’s Bama’s Best Beef contest. Kicking off with a nominations round on April 8 on the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association Facebook page, we want to hear about your favorite unique beef dish served up at an Alabama restaurant or food truck. Get ready to submit those nominations beginning April 8!

 

 

CATTLEWOMEN’S 5K

The Alabama CattleWomen’s BEEFit 5k is April 13 in downtown Montgomery, and we’re excited to launch Team Bama Beef at this event. Team Bama Beef will be comprised ofbeef-loving fitness enthusiasts and will be supported by the beef checkoff. We’re looking for people who are committed to living an active, healthy lifestyle and who love eating beef! If you’re interested in being a part of Team Bama Beef, contact Ali Cantrell by phone or email to get some more information.

Registration for the event is now live on the CattleWomen’s website, http://alabamacattlewomen.com/beefit/.

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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.

 

Happy Spring! In true springtime fashion, we were greeted by cool temps, sunshine and chirping birds this morning, and as the day goes on…things are starting to warm up. Textbook springtime behavior, and we are so grateful for it as it means green grass and the end of feeding season is near!  We are also grateful for a full calendar ahead as it means staff gets to get out and about to see you guys. Keep reading to learn more about what’s going on this week at the ACA.

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ALABAMA CATTLEMEN’S FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP BANQUET

You may have noticed something different at the annual Awards Banquet if you joined us in Birmingham for the 76th ACA Convention & Trade Show. The room wasn’t quite as full, and the program was a bit shorter, and that’s because the annual Foundation Scholarship portion of the evening has been moved to its own, private event! That’s right, we now are able to give these stellar recipients a special evening where they and the endowment families get to shine! So with that said, this Saturday the Alabama Cattlemen’s Foundation will award $64,000 in scholarships to 74 deserving students at the 2019 ACA Scholarship Banquet. The banquet will be at the Wetumpka Civic Center at 5:30PM. Coverage of the banquet will be in the May magazine, so be on the lookout for your favorite scholar!

 

 

Nebraska Disaster Relief

The bomb cyclone that hit America’s heartland is still causing problems long after it’s gone. Our thoughts and prayers are with the cattlemen of Nebraska and the Dakotas that fought monumental snowfall and now, torrential flooding. If you want to help, disaster relief funds have been established and supplies are being requested.

Supplies Needed

• Hay
• Feed stuffs
• fencing material
• volunteer help
• equipment
• other

Contact Nebraska Dept of Ag for assistance 1-800-831-0550 or visit nda.nebraska.gov/resources/

 

Disaster Relief Funds (Information below provided by Drovers)

The Nebraska Cattlemen Disaster Relief Fund is organized in the State of Nebraska as a not-for-profit corporation and will be seeking to qualify as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable org under which all donations made to the Fund would be tax deductible for the donor in accordance with applicable federal tax laws. All of the proceeds will go to cattlemen and women of Nebraska who are dealing with the devastation of the flooding.

To donate write a check to Nebraska Cattlemen Disaster Relief Fund and mail it to:
Nebraska Cattlemen Disaster Relief Fund
4611 Cattle Drive
Lincoln, NE 68521

NDA’s Hay and Forage Hotline, 402-471-4876, connects buyers with sellers of hay, pasture and other types of forage. This hotline service is available at no cost to buyers and sellers.

 

 

SLE Rodeo & JBE Wrap-Up

We enjoyed an awesome week at the SLE Rodeo and Junior Beef Expo! We want to start by saying congratulations to Harmon Butler of Dale County who exhibited the Supreme grand Champion Market Steer and Ashlyn Ruf of. Limestone County who took the grand prize in the heifer show. We’d also like to acknowledge the more than 130 youth who received scholarships from the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. Pictures from the scholarship luncheon are available by clicking here and Junior Beef Expo photos, provided by the Alabama Farmers Federation, are available at the links below. Congrats to all on an outstanding weekend of exhibiting, performing and enjoying the western culture of rodeo!

 

 

CATTLEWOMEN’S 5K

The Alabama CattleWomen’s BeeFit 5k is April 13 in downtown Montgomery, and we’re excited to launch Team Bama Beef at this event. Team Bama Beef will be comprised of beef-loving fitness enthusiasts and will be supported by the beef checkoff. We’re looking for people who are committed to living an active, healthy lifestyle and who love eating beef! If you’re interested in being a part of Team Bama Beef, contact Ali Cantrell by phone or email to get some more information.

Registration for the event is now live on the CattleWomen’s website, http://alabamacattlewomen.com/beefit/.

 

 

MEMBERSHIP REPORT

The membership count of the day is 6,639 members of the ACA…and
counting as Membership and Producer Contact Coordinator Jessica Kennedy and our county leaders are steady inserting renewals and new members or NEED to be! Jessica is working to get all membership up-to-date so she can then begin sending out membership statements to all non-renewed members in April as well as county liability insurance information. Stay tuned for more!

 

 

Hot, to cold, rain to dry…one thing is for sure, the only thing about the weather that’s consistent is the pollen count. But hey, pollen means spring. Spring means calving and green grass, and green grass means a muddy winter of feeding is almost behind us! Hang in there, cattlemen. Brighter, hotter days are surely ahead!

While we wait for them, though, let’s get an update from the state Cattlemen’s Association this week. It’s rodeo time, and we’re gearing up for a big weekend at the Garrett Coliseum. Buckin’ broncos, barrels, show calves and scholarships, we’re looking at a jam-packed weekend with the SLE Rodeo and Junior Beef Expo ahead. Keep reading to learn more about what’s happening this week in Montgomery!

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Special Session Comes to a Close

The special session ended yesterday afternoon after the Senate passed the Gas Tax (28 yes to 6 no) with no amendments to the House version. Gov. Ivey signed the bill into law a few hours later and ended a week and half of buzz around town. Legislators will come back for their second day of the regular session next Tuesday, March 19 to resume work on the rest of the issues in front of them.

 

 

Saddle Up!

It’s here! Rodeo week is upon us, and we’re excited for the round-up of events ahead. As you read this, the barns at Garrett Coliseum are filling up with superior show stock as junior cattlemen, 4-H and FFA students from across Alabama are gearing up for a weekend of exhibition in the Junior Beef Expo. We’d like to wish all those young people good luck and a safe, successful weekend!

 

Back in the Coliseum, we’re excited to be a sponsor of the 62nd annual show! There’s bucking broncos, barrel riding, bull fighting and trick riding to be seen, and you don’t want to miss it! Kicking off the fun is a parade through Downtown Montgomery on Thursday followed by a 7 p.m. show where kids 12u enter FREE! On Friday night, we invite everyone out but especially retired and active military and first responders as we’re offering a BOGO deal on tickets. Don’t forget you’re I.D.! Then on Saturday, at 2 p.m., we’ll bring all the rodeo action at the matinee performance followed with MORE fun that night a 7 p.m. You’re not going to want to miss Roman Rider Dusti Crane Dickerson, Rodeo Clown and Professional Barrelman Rockin’ Robbie Hodges, the elite stock of Frontier Rodeo Company and all those cowboys looking to make it to the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.

 

To purchase tickets, call 888-2RODEO2, visit SLERodeo.com, stop by the ACA or visit the Garrett Coliseum Box Office.

 

And don’t forget to bring your youngins to the stick horse rodeo each night at 5:30 p.m. and the Western Festival on Saturday from 10-noon. Both events are FREE and open to the public!

 

 

High School Beef Cook-off

This week is the last week to get registered for the Alabama Jr. & Sr. High School Beef Cook-off happening April 6 in Montgomery. If your county hosted a beef cook off this year, please be sure your winners get registered by THIS Friday, March 15! They can do so online at www.BamaBeef.org./Cookoff.

 

 

Alabama Cattlemen’s Foundation Scholarship Banquet

You may have noticed something different at the annual Awards Banquet if you joined us in Birmingham for the 76th ACA Convention & Trade Show. The room wasn’t quite as full, and the program was a bit shorter, and that’s because the annual Foundation Scholarship portion of the evening has been moved to its own, private event! That’s right, we now are able to give these stellar recipients a special evening where they and the endowment families get to shine! So with that said, next Saturday the Alabama Cattlemen’s Foundation will award $64,000 in scholarships to 74 deserving students at the 2019 ACA Scholarship Banquet. The banquet will be at the Wetumpka Civic Center at 5:30PM. Coverage of the banquet will be in the May magazine, so be on the lookout for your favorite scholar!

 

 

MEMBERSHIP REPORT

The membership count of the day is 6,514 members of the ACA…and
counting as Membership and Producer Contact Coordinator Jessica Kennedy and our county leaders are steady inserting renewals and new members or NEED to be! Jessica is working to get all membership up-to-date so she can then begin sending out membership statements to all non-renewed members in April as well as county liability insurance information. Stay tuned for more!

 

 

CattleWomen’s 5K

The Alabama CattleWomen’s BeeFit 5k is April 13 in downtown Montgomery, and we’re excited to launch Alabama’s Team Beef at this event. If you are an avid runner and are interested in being a part of Team Beef, please contact Ali Cantrell at our office, and she will get you registered for the 5k and provide you with Team Beef apparel.

 

 

SAVE THE DATES: 2019 AJCA ROUND-UP

Deck the barns with boughs of shavings fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la. This year at the 13th annual Alabama Junior Cattlemen’s Association Round-Up, we’re bringing the heat to Christmas in July! We’ll return to the Teague for three jammed-packed days on July 18-21 as we take on the show ring and all our many other career development and beef educational contests! Save the dates for the most wonderful (and hot!) time of year- July 18-21 at the Garrett Coliseum Livestock Barns in Montgomery.

 

 

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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.

Rain, wind and arctic air have struck our home state. On such a bright and beautiful day, it’s hard to think of the devastation our friends and neighbors in east Alabama have suffered. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have lost everything, including ones they love most. Our hearts are broken for the Beauregard community, and we will work with cattle producers affected by tornado or flood damages through our Foundation.

Beyond such a somber note, it is a busy week in downtown Montgomery as the legislative session has kicked off, and we look forward to the SLE Rodeo, our scholarship banquet and those awesome beef promo events that come in the springtime months! There’s lots going on, so saddle up and keep reading to get your weekly Cattlemen’s update.

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Infrastructure’s the Word

The legislative session kicked off this week in Montgomery, and the fireworks have already started following the rollout of Gov. Ivey’s infrastructure plan. The Senate and House gaveled on long enough on Tuesday to take a recess in preparation for Gov. Ivey’s State of the State address. As anticipated, a special session was requested by the governor and acted on by the legislature late last night. With that said, today begins the special session focused on the gas tax, and the regular session is adjourned until March 19.  Stay tuned for updates about the special session!

 

 

House Rural Caucus Dinner

This evening, the ACA, ALFA, the Alabama Poultry and Egg Association and the Alabama Rural Electric Association will host the Rural Caucus for the House of Representatives at the Cattlemen’s building. Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth, Commissioner of Agriculture Rick Pate and ACA President Chris Langley will be special guests along with caucus members. Mr. Kenneth Boswell will be the featured speaker to discuss the importance of the upcoming census with the group. This has become an annual event for the association that takes place the first Wednesday night of the session and gives the ag groups a platform to discuss rural issues at hand. The rural caucus chairman is Rep. David Standridge from Blount County.

 

 

ProStart Invitational Cook-Off

ACA Director of Education and Outreach Ali Cantrell had an early start to her Monday as she headed north to Huntsville for the Alabama ProStart Invitational Cook-Off. At the event, Ali set up a Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner booth where the high school culinary participants could learn more about beef and create their own spice rub to take home! She also mingled with FACS teachers in preparation for our upcoming Alabama Jr. and Sr. High School Beef Cook-Off and presented an award for the best beef dish of the day which went to the Shelby County Career  Technical Education Center. Congrats!

 

 

MEMBERSHIP REPORT

The membership count of the day is 6,162 members of the ACA…and
counting as Membership and Producer Contact Coordinator Jessica Kennedy and our county leaders are steady inserting renewals and new members or NEED to be! Firm membership deadlines are as follows and must be delivered (not postmarked) by the dates below:

• Early Bird Drawing: March 31
• “Over the Top” Red Coat: June 15
• Top Hand Recruiting Club: Dec 31

Don’t forget our newest member benefit. Thanks to our friends at Conestoga Steak House in Dothan, members can now get $2 off their meal (excluding alcoholic beverages)!

 

 

 

 

Alabama Dieticians Association Meeting

Ali Cantrell is looking forward to attending the Alabama Dieticians Association Meeting in Montgomery this week to talk with registered dietitians about beef in a healthy lifestyle. NCBA and ACA will also be sponsoring the guest speaker, registered dietician, Judy Barbe, on that Thursday to talk about confident cooking techniques!