“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
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.”
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
A
pplications 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.
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.
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
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.