Alabama Cattlemen's Association

What’s Going On Wednesday: October 23, 2019

Ah, feels like fall! Before we know it, we’ll be gathering around the table for Thanksgiving, then gathering around the tree to hear the Christmas story and open gifts. Folks, 2019 is drawing near to an end already if you can believe it. But it can’t end without first accomplishing a busy sale season, finishing up October Beef Month, kicking off county annual meetings and before we set the 2020 Beef Checkoff Marketing Plan and budgets. So much to do and so little time, but as we mentioned on an Instagram comment yesterday, “it is truly our greatest pleasure.”

ALABAMA CATTLEMEN’S FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS

A TAG-_Scholarship_APPLY_19 pplications for 2019-2020 Alabama Cattlemen’s Foundation scholarships are now open and are set to close on November 1, 2019. That’s just over a week away, so get those apps in!! This year’s lineup of scholarships include those funded by the sale of the Cowboy vanity car tag, such as the “Tagged for Greatness” scholarship, as well as many endowed scholarships from generous families. An addition to the many award opportunities this year is a Trade School Scholarship for students attending a trade school program in the state of Alabama. Be sure to check out our many scholarships and get those applications submitted by November 1.

Award recipients will be honored at the 2020 Alabama Cattlemen’s Foundation Scholarship Banquet to be held April 11, 2020 at the Wetumpka Civic Center in Wetumpka, AL. More information and applications can be found online at www.BamaBeef.org/Scholarships.

Fall Beef 101 Programs

On Thursday, ACA Director of Education and Outreach Ali Cantrell looks forward to hosting a Beef 101 program with the Drake University Culinary Program and for students from Holtville High School in Elmore County. It’s a busy time of year for Beef 101 and a great time for us to teach influencers about the nutritional benefits and life cycle of our favorite protein, beef! If you would like to participate in one of these programs coming up, let Ali know!

Alabama Forage Conference

Save the date and hop online to www.BamaBeef.org/Forage to learn more and register for this year’s Alabama Forage Conference. Themed “Diversifying Alabama Forage Systems,” this conference will take place December 3-4 at Joe Wheeler State Park in Rogersville, AL. Conference topics will include “using annuals to extend the grazing season,”Alfalfa and Bermudagrass,” and “grazing cover crops.” For only $65, you’ll get the information from this conference and enjoy the pre-conference tour. Learn more at the website above!

SLE Rodeo- Moving & Shaking!

ACA Director of Rodeo Programs Lauren Wilson has hit the ground running since she gone on October 1. Not only has she gotten hitched, but she’s already began gathering rodeo committees to activate them in their specific roles. On Monday, Lauren and Ali met with Ed Whatley to discuss rodeo vendor opportunities. Ali is heading up vendors and is working on layout and prices for space inside or out of the Coliseum. Vendor information will be available soon!

This morning, SLE Executive Director Erin Beasley and Lauren met with the sponsorship committee to establish sponsorship levels and packages and creating a list of target sponsors to reach out too. This was an exciting meeting and very encouraging as sponsorships are so important to this show! Thanks to all who joined us and offered valuable input.

Lastly (for this week at least), Lauren and Erin will meet with Coliseum staff to finalize vendor layout, discuss hospitality tent area and set up ticket sales. Be on the look out for tickets to become available for purchase in December..just in time for Christmas!

Also- the new www.SLERodeo.com will go live on November 1. Get ready to explore the site and learn all about this year’s rodeo and its fun opportunities!

Talkin’ Beef with BCIA

ACA Director of Field Services Morgan Pounds will be in attendance at the Alabama Beef Cattle Improvement Association (BCIA) Board of Directors Meeting on Thursday. She plans to give updates from the association, brag on Beef Month activities, remind members about our scholarships and talking about stockyard visits while taking in all the new information from the BCIA. As always, we are excited to be part of this group.

Save the Dates- 2020 ACA Convention & Trade Show

Cattle Drive to the Capital as we saddle up for a Valentines Day Weekend event filled with beef cattle news, updates and awards. We’ll be in Montgomery on February 14-15 for the 77th annual convention featuring educational sessions, guest speakers, youth public speaking, quiz bowl and career development and the largest cattle industry trade show in the state of Alabama. Don’t miss out! Save the dates and get ready for those great deals with Early Bird Registration opening on November 15.

Membership Update

Membership # of the Day: 9,394

Board members, be sure to RSVP to Jessica Kennedy about our upcoming Board Meeting to be held on November 14, 2019 at the Cattlemen’s Building in Montgomery. Also, if you would like to attend next week’s Alabama Beef Checkoff Task Force meeting to help plan the use of next year’s checkoff dollars, let us know!! Any and all are invited- we need your input! Don’t hesitate to call and let us know you’d like to attend at (334) 265-1867.

Alabama Junior & Senior High School Beef Cook-Off

Does your county host a beef cook-off in coordination with local Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) programs? If you answered yes, then keep reaching!! If you answered no but would like to, contact Ali Cantrell at our office and she can help get you started!

Back to those who answered yes. Rules and registration for the 2020 state cook-off are now live at www.BamaBeef.org/Cookoff. The event this year will be hosted on April 4, 2020 at Carver High School in Montgomery. If you have any questions, contact Ali.

Coffee County Youth Day

ACA Director of Field Services Morgan Pounds is meeting with 30 youth from Coffee County Young Leadership Program. These young people come from 5 different schools in the county and compete in leadership contests, applications and interviews to get in the program. Today, these youth are touring ACA President-Elect Larry Reeves’ operation today and learning about jobs and opportunities in both the beef and poultry industries. Morgan was glad to be part of this tour and offer insight into the impact beef production has on the state of Alabama.

Consumer Marketing

This week, along with social media efforts promoting beef, we published a blog with the help of our contract Registered Dietician Elesha Ergle about savory, fall comfort dishes! This blog post came just in time for the cold front that pushed through our state and hopefully gave readers some good ideas for cozy, fall foods! To further push that marketing effort, a consumer newsletter twill publish on Thursday to provide over 10,000 recipients a further look into beef recipes and information. We’re encouraging consumers to Savor the Flavors of Fall…with Beef!

TRADE SHOW REGISTRATION NOW LIVE

Registration is open for the trade show at the 77th annual ACA Convention & Trade Show happening in Montgomery on February 14-15. That’s right, bring your sweetheart to town and enjoy promoting your product or service to Alabama’s largest gathering of cattlemen! Please contact staffer Ali Cantrell if you would like to be a vendor at the 2020 show or visit www.BamaBeef.org/Convention to register online with a credit card.

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.

Savor the Flavors of Fall

By Elesha Ergle, RDN

Follow Elesha on Twitter & Instagram: @EleshaErgleRDN

October is Beef Month in Alabama, and it’s time to get some fall recipes together for cooler weather! Whether it’s your first pot of chili or a new recipe for meatloaf, you can make beef the star of your comfort foods for the season. A three-ounce portion of lean beef provides 25 grams of protein for only 173 calories, so you can have your protein without all the additional calories!

Quick Comforts

Meatloaf is one of the favorites at our house, and nothing says comfort food quite like a hearty meatloaf and mashed potatoes. With our busy schedules, who has time to make a homemade meatloaf? Insert the Instant Pot here! This recipe for One-Pot Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes Supreme. You can have this home-cooked meal in minutes, not hours. Beef up your macaroni and cheese with this Cheeseburger Macaroni recipe that will keep the kids asking for more! Quick, easy, and just a few ingredients to get it together.

Chili Day

Kick off the cooler weather with your first pot of chili! So many options, which one to choose…with beans or without, with tomatoes, hot or mild. Whatever your taste buds prefer, get warmed up with these favorites. This Three Bean and Beef Chili is packed with protein and deliciousness or this Stovetop Chili Mac that is a combination of flavors that is sure to be a hit with your family.

Pot Roastin’

The ultimate comfort food…pot roast. So many variations of this wonderful dish, many have their own favorites. For a delicious, tender roast, start with a chuck or shoulder roast. For optimal tenderness and flavor, cook low and slow in slow cooker, oven, or in an electric pressure cooker. This Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast is a favorite around our house. If you like a more traditional roast, try this Classic Sunday Pot Roast.

Get your fall recipes going with beef! For more recipes, nutrition and food safety information, and to learn more about beef from pasture to plate, visit Beef It’s What’s For Dinner. Happy Beef Month and Happy Fall, Ya’ll!

This article was funded by the Alabama Beef Checkoff Progam. Paid for by Alabama beef farmers and ranchers.

What’s Going On Wednesday: October 2, 2019

“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Welcome to October, or should be say Hotober? With a still-dry forecast in view, we at least are seeing a glimmer of hope for some cooler temperatures headed our way. Maybe we will get a Fall season, after all! While you settle into the seasonal shift and all it brings- feeding hay, new calves, etc- we are bustling around the office as our calendar is bursting at the seams with sales, educational programs and BEEF PROMOTION because it’s OCTOBER BEEF MONTH IN ALABAMA! Keep reading to learn more about all that’s happening at the ACA this week.

NOTE: As staffers Kayla Greer and Ali Cantrell head to Denver for a national beef checkoff update next week, there will be no blog post on Wednesday, October 9. We’ll see you again on October 16!

New Faces on Team ACA

Screenshot 2019-10-02 09.22.04 — Dougherty

It has been an exciting week as we’ve welcomed not one, but two new faces to our staff this week! On Monday, we welcomed Sydney Dougherty into the role of The MOOseum Coordinator. Sydney will be the friendly face to welcome visitors to The MOOseum, the friendly voice that answers our phones and the lady behind our many online store order shipments, among other roles!Born and raised in Notasulga, Sydney graduated from Reeltown High Schoo and studied at Southern Union State Community College in Opelika.She married her husband, Dustin Dougherty, in 2016 and the couple calls Fitzpatrick home. The Dougherty family has a small herd of commercial cattle she and Dustin manage. “I am excited to be a part of ACA to provide knowledge to people in the community who are unfamiliar with cattle and be able to help others within the state who have cattle.”

Screenshot 2019-10-02 09.21.55 — Terry (Wilson)

After an exciting Monday of training Sydney in her new role, Tuesday welcomed Lauren Terry to the new position of Director of Rodeo Programs. Don’t get too used to the name, though, as in just 11 short days, she will become Mrs. Wilson. A native of Moulton, Lauren’s role will be to plan and execute the annual SLE Rodeo that takes place each March in Montgomery along with assisting the association on events during the year. Her background includes competing in rodeo, organizing a local rodeo with her family and serving as Miss Rodeo USA for the International Pro Rodeo Association (IPRA) which took her across the country promoting rodeo.

To contact Sydney, call us at (334) 265-1867 or email her at sdougherty@bamabeef.org. To reach out to Lauren, give us a call or email her at lwilson@bamabeef.org

Fall means Fair!

Fall means several things in Alabama, but the welcoming of the season means one huge event in the world of Alabama ag…the Alabama National Fair! It is officially fair week as the Alabama National Fair is kicking off on Friday! Good luck to all the exhibitors competing in livestock shows! ACA staffer Morgan Pounds will be out in the barns to lend a helping hand throughout the Beef Livestock Shows this weekend and Monday.

Staffers Ali Cantrell and Kayla Greer will also be making an appearance during fair week as Ali is helping coordinate and judge the Where’s the Beef? Cook Off event happening next Friday, and Kayla helps judge the photography contest happening tomorrow!

Alabama Drought

As a result of the extreme drought conditions in Alabama, state transportation and agriculture officials are working to issue special hay hauler permits. This no-cost process is a combined effort of the Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries (ADAI) and the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) to provide emergency relief to livestock producers.

Drought conditions in Alabama continue to worsen, not only due to the lack of rain, but intensified by triple-digit, record breaking highs during the past month. According to the Alabama Drought Monitor, in just the past week, areas affected by the drought in the state have increased over 35 percent. A sharp increase in drought intensity and coverage conditions are expected to quickly escalate because current dry conditions often materialize more quickly than the precipitation data indicates due to the intense heat.

To transport over-dimensional loads of hay within Alabama, dimensions must not exceed 12 feet wide by 14 feet high. A no-cost permit is currently available from ALDOT until December 31, 2019.

Haulers must be registered in ALDOT’s database to receive the no-cost permit. To be added to the ALDOT database as a new hauler, please complete a New Hauler Letter Form available on ALDOT’s website at www.dot.state.al.us.

If you do not have internet access, you may also call 1-800-499-2782. The following information will need to be provided to the ALDOT staff member who answers your call:

Truck/trailer tag numbers
Route information
City and state of origin and destination

Additionally, the worsening drought conditions escalate the immediate need for hay producers and livestock producers to communicate their hay availability and needs. The Alabama Hay Listing webpage,www.agi.alabama.gov/s/haylist, provides an avenue for farmers who have hay available to list for sale, the type, size, quality and quantity they have available. Also, on the same page, farmers in need of hay, can search for hay in their area that is available for purchase.

Other resources are available to cattlemen at www.alabamadrought.com

The ACA submitted a letter this week to the state climatologist outlining the widespread drought conditions across the state for cattle producers and the severity also caused by the heat. The letter also detailed effects of the drought on the cattle industry in the coming months as a result of the drought. This letter will also be shared with the governor’s office. The drought map is updated each week and more counties need to be sited as D2 drought status so that producers can apply for the Livestock Forage Program at their local Farm Service Agency office. Stay tuned for more details in coming weeks.

Talkin’ Beef at Samford University

On Thursday ACA Director of Education & Outreach Ali Cantrell and beef checkoff contract Registered Dietician Elesha Ergle will present on the beef life cycle to nutrition students at Samford University. Ali will be presenting on the journey from pasture to plate and cooking up a delicious beefy dish. Elesha will lead discussion on incorporating beef into a healthy lifestyle.

Speaking of Talking…

ACA Executive Vice President Erin Beasley recorded a radio segment on “The Land Show”, sponsored by Southeastern Land Group this morning which will air sometime this fall statewide. The ACA thanks the hosts of the show Jonathan Goode and Dave Milton for allowing us to be on the show to promote October Beef Month and provide an update on the cattle industry.

Sales, Sales and More Sales!

Director of Field Services Morgan Pounds is really putting her title to the test this week as she is hitting the field! On Tuesday, Morgan stopped by Uniontown for Alabama Livestock Auction’s 50 Fancy Crossbred Heifer Sale. Today, she is joining ACA President Chris Langley in Roanoke to catch their weekly sale. Be sure to stop by and say hello to our state president and staffer if you happen to be in area!

This weekend will also activate our staff and officers as we head to sales across the state. While staffer Kayla Greer stops into the 31st annual Alabama Connection Sale at Quail Valley Farms on Friday, ACA Vice President Clay Kennamer will stop in at the Bar 7 Genetics 2nd Annual Female Sale on Saturday. Stop and say hi if you see us around!

Disaster Relief

The ACA has been working continuously with the Department of Agriculture on a possible state block grant to assist with disaster relief from Hurricane Michael. It has been a long process, but we are confident that the pieces are beginning to come together for USDA to hopefully award disaster money to state departments to administer. Our involvement has been to assist with the formula in which affected cattle producers will be paid for losses. There is no guarantee that the state block grant will be awarded which would mean relief money would be paid out by the federal government. More to come as the process progresses.

Membership Update

Membership Count of the Day: 9,358
County presidents and secretaries are encouraged to email Membership Coordinator Jessica Kennedy with information about their county annual meetings, should you already have the date set! We’d love to go ahead and get that info up on our calendar, get a staffer or officer assigned and get it on the list for the November magazine.

With the kickoff of October Beef Month, we would like to remind cattlemen leaders to take photos and send them to us! We want to brag on all your awesome county activities on social media and in the magazine! If you’re reading books for Cowboys in the Classroom, selling steak sandwiches, hosting an event or serving a charity of any sort, let us know!! To stay up to date with events, visit the Bama Beef Events Calendar at www.BamaBeef.org/Events.

If you need supplies for October Beef Month, call Ali Cantrell at (334) 265-1867.

ACA + ADEM

ACA participated in an Alabama Department of Environmental Science (ADEM) working group, which meets twice a year to discuss industry updates with the department. Agriculture is well represented and stays in correspondence with staff at ADEM to assist with any regulatory hurdles or needs.

ALABAMA CATTLEMEN’S FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS

Applications for 2019-2020 Alabama Cattlemen’s Foundation scholarships are now open and are set to close on November 1, 2019. This year’s lineup of scholarships include those funded by the sale of the Cowboy vanity car tag, such as the “Tagged for Greatness” scholarship, as well as many endowed scholarships from generous families. An addition to the many award opportunities this year is a Trade School Scholarship for students attending a trade school program in the state of Alabama. Be sure to check out our many scholarships and get those applications submitted by November 1.

BEEFFEST AT SWEETCREEK

October 12-13 is sure to be a great time as we team up with the folks at SweetCreek Farm Market and Alabama Department of Ag and Industries to host the first-ever BeefFest in conjunction with the venue’s annual pumpkin festival! Make a road trip to Pike Road, AL for fun games, craft vendors, a beef chili cook-off and a coloring contest for kiddos. ACA staff and volunteers will be present to tell the pasture to plate story while serving up some delicious beef chili samples. Don’t miss out on all the fun!

TRADE SHOW REGISTRATION NOW LIVE

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.