Alabama Cattlemen's Association

Bama Beef Blog: January 29, 2020

Whirlwind is the word in our office as we head into a very busy convention and rodeo season. You’ll hear us say that a lot until both of those events ride off into the sunset for 2020, so hang in there while we work to make these events great! Like last week, our post may seem a bit short and uneventful but that is certainly not the case in the office. Like bees in a hive, we are buzzing around the office with convention and rodeo prep— everything from magazine articles and convention videos, youth contest organization, vendor packets, meetings with convention center staff, creating agendas, designing the programs, taking registration, building the trade show map and many many more fun tasks that are keeping us on our toes. While you hold down the fort on the farm, we’re here in Montgomery creating a shindig you’re sure to love…oh, and keeping up with all the regular day-to-day tasks that keep us busy throughout the year. Keep reading to learn what’s going on at the ACA this week.

2020 ACA CONVENTION & TRADE SHOW

The countdown is on! We are just weeks away from convention. Registration is still open for the 77th annual ACA Convention & Trade show to be held February 14-15 at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Convention Center. ONLY FIVE HOTEL ROOMS remain on our block at the neighboring Staybridge Suites, so get those rooms booked lickety-split.

What better way to say “I love you” on Valentine’s Day than to bring your darlin’ to our Friday night event, the Sweetheart Shindig? Not to mention all the fun and excitement around our General Sessions, featuring Donnell Brown of R.A. Brown Ranch and a CattleFax update, informative Cattlemen’s Colleges and Alabama’s biggest cattle industry trade show. We’ve also host NCBA CEO Colin Woodall as our Cattlemen’s Luncheon featured speaker. Don’t miss this exciting event!

You can register online today by visiting www.BamaBeef.org/Convention or you can call us at the office and we’ll take your registration by phone! Be sure to have your credit card handy and have an idea of what you and your’s would like to attend by checking out our mail-in form in the January issue of the Alabama Cattleman magazine.

SLE RODEO- TICKETS, GET YOUR TICKETS!

Buck on over to www.SLERodeo.com/Tickets now to secure your seats at the greatest show on dirt! This year’s show is sure to please as we’re featuring freestyle bullfighting, the best stock in the PRCA, all kinds of children’s events and hometown rodeo clown, Trent McFarland! We’ve got some awesome ticket deals available for you to take advantage of, so don’t wait. Get on over to www.SLERodeo.com to learn more about all that SLE Livestock Week offers and to purchase your tickets today!

This week, ACA Director of Rodeo Programs Lauren Wilson met with the sponsorship committee to discuss what has been covered, and who still needs to be reached out to. We’ve also booked our acoustic entertainment for the hospitality tent, and we’re excited to featured the vocal talents of Ed Whatley on Thursday night, Brandon Self on Friday night and Charity Bowden on Saturday. The SLE Rodeo website has been updated to feature information on the Alabama Stock Horse Association Show and Clinic and the SLE Team Roping events. Coming soon is information on the NBHA Barrel Race.

USMCA: SIGNED!

Today, representatives from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association gathered on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. for the signing ceremony of the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA). NCBA President Jennifer Houston, who attended the ceremony, released the following statement:

“This is a great day for America’s cattle producers, and we were once again honored to participate in another great victory for our industry. Of course, the ratification of USMCA comes on the heels of a game-changing new trade deal with China, a new bilateral agreement with our largest export partners in Japan, and much-improved access to the European Union.

“Add that to the new waters rule that was finalized last week, new proposed grazing regulations, and new proposed rules that would provide much-needed relief the National Environmental Policy Act, and it’s easy to see that 2020 is off to a truly historic start for U.S. beef producers. I want to thank the President and his entire team for listening to our producers’ concerns and for working with us to find real common-sense solutions.”

Membership Update

To date, our ACA membership count is up to 5,622 and counting as county meetings are still in full swing. This week, staffers and officers will be on the road to attend the Lee, Crenshaw, Monroe and Chilton county meetings. Next week will being the Henry, Dale and Chambers meetings. County leaders, be sure to send Jessica Kennedy those meeting dates, times and locations and officer updates following the meeting!

Convention Youth Contests

This year the Alabama Beef Checkoff Program is sponsoring THREE educational contest for Alabama’s youth involved in agriculture. These contests are FREE of charge and provide educational opportunities. We will be offering quiz bowl and public speaking for juniors ages 9-21. Youth ages 17-21 are invited to compete in a career development contest to prepare their interview skills for the future. The link to register for these contests close this Saturday. www.BamaBeef.org/Contests

At the Super Speedway

ACA Director of Education & Outreach Ali Cantrell was able to drive the track of Talladega Speedway on Tuesday to discuss promoting Beef at the races. Ali discussed with them some standard advertisement with the track but they also discussed a relatively new event that the ACA could be a part of. “Driving STEM at Talladega Superspeedway ” started this past fall and the 2.66-mile venue hosted 550 students from five different schools in October to learn about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and its relation in the sport of NASCAR at the most competitive track on the circuit. This program has the potential for ACA to come out and show how by-products from the cattle industry impact the sport of NASCAR by creating fuel, tires, and etc for the sport.

YCLP

Our sixth class of the checkoff-funded Young Cattlemen’s Leadership Program (YCLP) will graduate at Convention in February. We are now accepting applications for our seventh class of YCLP. Applications for this program close on February 29. The YCLP consists of six meetings dispersed across Alabama over the course of a year. The class will be selected by a committee based on applications submitted. Preference will be given to those nominees who are between the ages of 20 & 40, but do not be discouraged to nominate yourself or someone else who falls out of that range. Click here to apply » www.BamaBeef.org/YCLP

The YCLP main focuses are to build on leadership and networking skills. If you are an alumni of this program we are excited to say we are starting a YCLP Council for alumni. The meeting introducing this idea will be held at convention on Saturday at 3:00 pm. We invite all alumni to this meeting to discuss the future of this program and it’s alumni opportunities to come!

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.

Bama Beef Blog Update: January 22, 2020

Someone turned on the A/C on full blast this week, folks! It is a chiller out there. Thank goodness these icy temps won’t stick around too long, and we can stop busting ice so early in the morning. While you’re chasing wintertime farm work, your staff in Montgomery is busy behind the desk and on the roads as we attend annual meetings and keep our heads down planning the best events we can for 2020. With convention and rodeo so rapidly approaching, you can say those are the themes around the office. There’s a lot of back end work that must be done so you can enjoy a great trade show, convention and rodeo. Keep reading to find out a little more about what’s going on with your state staff.

2020 ACA CONVENTION & TRADE SHOW

The countdown is on! We are officially less than a month away from convention. Registration is still open for the 77th annual ACA Convention & Trade show to be held February 14-15 at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Convention Center. What better way to say “I love you” on Valentine’s Day than to bring your darlin’ to our Friday night event, the Sweetheart Shindig? Not to mention all the fun and excitement around our General Sessions, featuring Donnell Brown of R.A. Brown Ranch and a CattleFax update, informative Cattlemen’s Colleges and Alabama’s biggest cattle industry trade show. We’ve also confirmed our Cattlemen’s Luncheon speaker, NCBA CEO Colin Woodall. Don’t miss this exciting event!

SLE RODEO- TICKETS, GET YOUR TICKETS!

Last week hosted a very productive Board meeting while a week full of meetings regarding sponsorships, partnerships and advertising have kept staffers busy this week!

Junior Update

The AJCA Board of Directors have hit the county meetings this year. They have enjoyed meeting cattlemen and juniors from counties in their district. Last night Jewel Thompson spoke at Bullock County on the upcoming events AJCA is hosting, while last week Will Meadows his the Houston and Mobile County meetings.

AJCA will be having their annual field day on April 18^th at Quail Valley Farms in Blountsville, AL. The schedule for this event will be released at the beginning of March. The junior board has voted to add a few new things to this years spring field day. We look forward to a full day of fun and education for our juniors of Alabama. Another event to go ahead and mark off on your calendars is our 14^th Annual Round-Up will be July 16-19^th at the Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery, Alabama.

Convention is less than one month away! This year the state beef checkoff is sponsoring three youth contest to be held at convention. Public Speaking and Quiz Bowl are open to juniors 9-21. Seniors ages 17-21, we invite you to sharpen up on your interview skills in our Career Development contest. All contest are free of entry and awards presentation will be done at the conclusion of the Quiz Bowl on the main trade show stage. For more information visit www.BamaBeef.org.Contests.

County Meeting Chaos…and Fun!

Just like the Juniors, your ACA staff and officers are out and about attending county annual meetings! Last week closed out with a trip to Coffee County for Kayla Greer and Lauderdale County for Ali Cantrell. On Tuesday of this week, Morgan Pounds stopped in at the Bullock County meeting, and staff will go in all directions on Thursday as Kayla Greer heads to Marion County, Lauren Wilson heads to Washington County and Morgan Pounds stops in at Mobile County. The fun doesn’t stop there, though, as Saturday night has Ali Cantrell heading to Jefferson County, President Chris Langley to Jackson County, Sabrina McKinney to Russell County and Erin Beasley to Colbert County. Whew- what a busy week!

If you haven’t let us know about your upcoming county annual meeting, contact Jessica at our office at (334) 265-1867.

YCLP

MEMBERSHIP UPDATE

As of today, the membership total is up to 5,236 and counting as county annual meeting season is in full swing and staffer Jessica Kennedy continues to receive mail-in and online membership submissions. County leaders, reports are good to go and are ready for download on the i4a system. Be sure to refer to these as you head into your annual meeting. Following your meetings, please provide Jessica with county leadership changes and contact information. We need everything including phone, mailing address and email!

Board members, Board Memos went out in the mail last regarding our Winter Board Meeting held at the ACA Convention. A luncheon will follow the meeting. As a reminder, Board members will be provided a meal ticket, but additional guests, including spouses, will need to purchase a Board luncheon ticket. This can be done by calling Jessica Kennedy at (334) 265-1867.

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.

Bama Beef Blog Update: January 15, 2020

Finally, some sunshine! After a very wet start to our week, we are seeing a little break in the rain and are able to get out in the mud to feed some cows. Don’t forge your muck boots and your 4WD vehicles! Just like you, we are sinking our feet into the thick of county annual meeting, convention and rodeo season. With our two biggest events of the year quickly on the horizon, we are staying busy to make them the best yet while continuing to keep your association running on all cylinders. Keep reading to get your weekly update from the staff at ACA.

2020 ACA CONVENTION & TRADE SHOW

You can register online today and take advantage of those awesome Early Bird deals AVAILABLE ONLY FOR TWO MORE DAYS by visiting www.BamaBeef.org/Convention or you can call us at the office and we’ll take your registration by phone! Be sure to have your credit card handy and have an idea of what you and your’s would like to attend by checking out our mail-in form in the January issue of the Alabama Cattleman magazine.

SLE Rodeo- Tickets, Get Your Tickets!

Our staff here is busy at work making sure this show is the best yet. Today, Director of Rodeo Programs Lauren Wilson will host an SLE Board meeting to cover important events leading up to the rodeo. She is also negotiating several sponsorship deals, working on a deal with our bullfighting contractor, B-K Fighting Bulls, putting finishing touches on the schedule and working with our many, active committees. ACA Director of Communications Kayla Greer is negotiating advertising deals with media, working on our media luncheon to be held February 27 and promoting ticket sales through the website on social media!

County Annual Meetings in Full Swing

Staffers are burning up the highways this week as it is the busiest two weeks of the year for county annual meetings! Lauren Wilson popped into Pike County’s meeting on Monday, while Ali Cantrell buzzed over a Collegiate Cattlemen’s meeting in Auburn on Tuesday. Kayla Greer will head to Hale County on Thursday evening, and meanwhile, Ali will head south to Houston County. Then on Friday, Kayla Greer will hit Coffee County’s Annual Meeting and call it week, while Ali Cantrell heads to Lauderdale County on Saturday and President Chris Langley stops in at Franklin County. Then, we start again next week with Shelby, Bullock, Elmore, Washington, Marion, Jefferson, Jackson, Colbert and Russell counties on the docket. If you see us in passing, be sure to honk or say hi! We’d love to hear from you!

Working with Influencers

Last Friday, The Alabama Obesity Task Force met in our building for their first quarterly meeting of the year. Staffer Ali Cantrell was in attendance during the meeting as they discussed new initiatives to help the state of Alabama live a more healthy lifestyle. The ACA has been a friend to the Obesity Task Force through the years so that beef can be included in the conversation in terms of health and wellness.

YCLP Class VII Apps- Now Open!

We are now taking YCLP Applications for Class VII! The Young Cattlemen’s Leadership Program (YCLP) has been a passion of the Cattlemen’s Association. In just six sessions we hope all the participants walk away with leadership skills, networking contacts, and expanded knowledge of the beef industry. The Alabama Cattlemen’s Association recognizes the need to cultivate our future leaders of the association and industry. The Young Cattlemen’s Leadership Program (YCLP), funded in part by the Alabama State Beef Checkoff, aims to do just that by identifying the state’s top young cattlemen and developing them into leaders of the future. Visit www.BamaBeef.org/YCLP if this program interest you. Applications close on February 29.

For our YCLP Alumni, we will be having a meeting at ACA Convention on Saturday February 15 at 3:00pm. Please contact Morgan Pounds for additional information at mpounds@bamabeef.org.

Membership Update

As of today, the membership total is up to 4,949 and counting as county annual meeting season is in full swing and staffer Jessica Kennedy continues to receive mail-in and online membership submissions. County leaders, reports are good to go and are ready for download on the i4a system. Be sure to refer to these as you head into your annual meeting.

Board members, Board Memos will go out in the mail today regarding our Winter Board Meeting held at the ACA Convention. A luncheon will follow the meeting. As a reminder, Board members will be provided a meal ticket, but additional guests, including spouses, will need to purchase a Board luncheon ticket. This can be done by calling Jessica Kennedy at (334) 265-1867.

Junior Cattlemen Update

We are excited to have over 550 followers on our AJCA Instagram page. We have some new content coming your way that involves past AJCA presidents. If you were a past AJCA President please contact Morgan Pounds at mpounds@bamabeef.org to be featured on our Instagram page. The AJCA Board of Directors voted to do another giveaway first week in March involving some FREE SLE t6ickets. Follow our page to stay updated on what our juniors around the state are up to! Instagram: @al_juniorcattlemen

Convention is just one short month away! The AJCA Board of Directors voted to move Career Development and Public Speaking to convention. These two contests offer great scholarship opportunities sponsored by the Alabama Beef Checkoff program. We have also added a Quiz Bowl contest to convention this year to get our youth across the state involved. For more information visit www.BamaBeef.org/Contests.

Lastly, the AJCA is excited to roll out a new look in 2020. Staffers Morgan Pounds and Kayla Greer have worked on a new logo for the junior association and are excited to offer a more modern, cleaned up version to use as a brand for our activities. As it rolls out, you will be seeing it more, but a sneak peek can be seen above!

DYW at ACA

On Thursday, a representative from each county will visit the Cattlemen’s building for the Distinguished Young Women (DYW) of Alabama luncheon. The young ladies are in town preparing for the statewide scholarship pageant, and to break from training, the group will stop by ACA for a steak luncheon, a game of beef trivia and a tour of The MOOseum.

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.

Bama Beef Blog Update: January 8, 2020

Happy New Year!

If you turn on the news, it seems that 2020 has started quite sour. Wildfires encompassing Australia, rising tensions in the Middle East, and the Golden Globes going vegan to fight climate change just to name a few…but the best we can do here in our great state is to keep our heads down, boots on the ground and continue to do the work and pray the prayers we know make a true difference. Keep your heads high, cattlemen, and continue reading to find out what all is new in the new year and what all you may need a refresher on!

2020 ACA CONVENTION & TRADE SHOW

Registration is now open for the 77th annual ACA Convention & Trade show to be held February 14-15 at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Convention Center. What better way to say “I love you” on Valentine’s Day than to bring your darlin’ to our Friday night event, the Sweetheart Shindig? Not to mention all the fun and excitement around our General Sessions, featuring Donnell Brown of R.A. Brown Ranch and a CattleFax update, informative Cattlemen’s Colleges and Alabama’s biggest cattle industry trade show. We’ve also confirmed our Cattlemen’s Luncheon speaker, NCBA CEO Colin Woodall. Don’t miss this exciting event!

You can register online today and take advantage of those awesome Early Bird deals by visiting www.BamaBeef.org/Convention or you can call us at the office and we’ll take your registration by phone! Be sure to have your credit card handy and have an idea of what you and your’s would like to attend by checking out our mail-in form in the January issue of the Alabama Cattleman magazine.
With convention being only a little over a month away, we only have a few spots available in our trade show if your company wants a booth! Please contact Ali Cantrell at our office if you would like to be a vendor at our trade show or visit online at www.BamaBeef.org/Convention to sign up for a booth! Early bird prices are now closed.

SLE RODEO TICKETS NOW ON SALE

Membership Update

Welcome to the 2020 membership year! As it is today, we’ve got 4,442 members renewed in the system…and counting as many many county meetings are underway in the next few weeks. Our mailbox stays full with renewals, which is certainly no problem for us! We’re excited to start the new year with over 4000 members with the help of three-year members who paid up last year! This will certainly help in our efforts to go Over the Top with 10,000 members in 2020!

County leaders, we want to make sure that you know 2020 Membership Reports are in the works and will be online soon through our software, i4a. If you have issues pulling these reports, please contact Jessica at our office.

AJCA Board Winter Meeting

This past weekend, ACA Director of Field Services Morgan Pounds met with the AJCA Board of Directors to discuss upcoming events. The juniors brought many new ideas to the table for 2020. We are excited to say our Spring Field Day will be held on April 18 in North Alabama. We will have a full day of events with a morning option and afternoon option. A detailed schedule will come soon!

The AJCA Board is also looking forward to seeing youth across Alabama compete in the contests at Convention on February 15. Click here to register today in public speaking, career development, and quiz bowl and your chance at scholarship prizes!

SLE Sponsorship Committee Meets

The SLE Rodeo Sponsorship Committee met today to review current sponsors, those working on a deal and to name those that still need to be reach out to. The Parade Committee hosted a conference call on Tuesday to discuss timing, events and potential participants. The Parade Committee would love to invite County Cattlemen’s Chapters to participate with a float, riders and/or signage in the 2020 SLE Rodeo Kickoff Parade. Riders will receive a complimentary meal, courtesy of Fat Boys BBQ Ranch, and a ticket to the Thursday night kickoff performance. If this interests you, contact Lauren Wilson at our office. To learn more, visit www.SLERodeo.com/Events.
Last but not least, advertising is in the works. This week, Lauren Wilson and Kayla Greer will seal the deal on radio advertising. One TV deal is signed and another is in the works. Billboards and targeted mobile ads are ready to go also! Facebook is firing up and performing well. The rodeo is almost here, folks- only 71 days away!

Increased Advertising in 2020

Digital advertising is a major focus for the association and the checkoff in 2020, and with that, constant rolling ads will be available on the Facebook and Instagram platforms. Rolling membership ads driving viewers to our “Join Now” page, Beef. It’s Whats for Dinner recipes and producer-driven ads about how your checkoff dollars go to work will constantly be available on the social platforms. So far, in just the first week of the new year, a membership ad, convention ad, two beef recipe ads and a producer ad have run, and all are performing well. They’ve garnered hundreds of link clicks to the associated websites, and our weekend online renewals saw a big jump on Sunday! We’re excited to continue to watch our footprint grow on these platforms and utilize them to get the word out about all we at the ACA offer!

Our consumer e-newsletters will also continue on monthly in 2020, with a brand new look! We’ve updated our template to provide a fresh appearance, and we’re excited to send the first one of 2020 out on Thursday to over 10,000 inboxes. Keep an eye out!

New Year, New Beef 101 Programs

ACA Director of Education & Outreach Ali Cantrell has three Beef 101 programs scheduled for this spring with FACS groups and culinary schools. If you are interested in sitting in on a Beef 101 please contact her at the office at (334) 265-1867. The dates for the confirmed programs are February 26, March 24, and April 1.

County Annual Meetings in Full Swing

It is a new year and our calendar is full with county annual meetings! Staffers Lauren Wilson and Morgan Pounds are head north to see our Marshall, Morgan and Limestone county cattlemen this weekend! Next weekend will host many, many more and we can’t wait to see you! Check out our www.BamaBeef.org/Events calendar to see the complete list. If your’s isn’t on there, be sure to submit it to Jessica Kennedy here at the ACA.

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.

A Lean New Year

By Elesha Ergle, RDN
Welcome to 2020, the year of hindsight! As we start this fabulous new year, set your sights on some new and creative ideas to add to your lunch boxes and dinner plans. If your previous years’ recipes are starting to lose their luster, let beef help you come up with some exciting and healthy ideas that will keep you going all year long.

Beef’s Nutrition
Beef is a healthy option! Here are the fast facts: a 3-ounce portion of lean beef (about the size of a deck of cards) contains less than 10 grams of fat and about 170 calories with about 25 grams of protein! If you are curious about all the lean cuts that beef has to offer, Beef It’s What’s for Dinner has you covered.<

BOLD Beef
In 2012, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published the study Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet (BOLD), which promoted four different diets, each integrating beef in varying amounts. At the end of the study, the participants that received larger amounts of lean beef were found to have lower cholesterol levels than those of diets with lower amounts of lean beef. The study provides “support for including lean beef in a heart-healthy dietary pattern.”

Fast Foods
While there are many beef recipes that require a lot of your time to prepare, Electric Pressure Cookers (EPC)— such as an Instant Pot— can cut your cooking times more than half. If you love a good roast with potatoes and carrots, try using a lean rump roast in your EPC for your next meal. This recipe uses only 3-4 ingredients and is ready in under 2 hours! (Tip: add 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar OR substitute 1-cup water with 1-cup cola to the recipe to further increase tenderness.)

Snacking with Beef
If you have resolved to add more exercise in to your new year, try some beef snacks for the trip to the gym or post-workout routine. Beef It’s What’s for Dinner has a great Beef Trail Mix, and this recipe for beefy sweet and savory trail mix can be the answer to your afternoon snacking routine. If you are looking for a great home workout, try the Farm To Gym workout at the link below.

No matter what your resolutions, resolve to eat more healthy, lean beef! Set your sights on some of these new ideas or visit Beef It’s What’s for Dinner for more information and recipes. Let your hindsight be 2020 as the best year ever!

Happy New Year from all of us at the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association.

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