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.
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)!
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.
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!
SLE RODEO- COMING TO TOWN!
The 62nd annual SLE Rodeo will come bucking back to town March 14-16 
(NEXT WEEKEND) for the best show on dirt east of the Mississippi! Ticket sales are now available, so give Kara Coplin a call at 888-2RODEO2. To learn more about this year’s SLE Rodeo & Livestock Week, visit www.SLERodeo.com.
*NOTICE* Cowgirls, take note of the new “Clear Bag Policy” at the Garrett Coliseum. Regular purses are no longer allowed for security reasons, so grab those clear stadium bags before heading to this year’s show!
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