Productivity is strong here in Montgomery as your team of state staffers and officers are working to offer you an outstanding convention, an entertaining and successful rodeo, increased youth events, a watchful legislative session, a five-star cattle magazine, mouthwatering beef advertising and an association you can be proud of…all while keeping you in the know about what’s going on! We’re excited for what’s to come next week as we welcome so many of you to Montgomery. Keep reading to learn more about what’s happening at the ACA this week!
2020 ACA CONVENTION & TRADE SHOW
WE’RE CATTLE DRIVING TO THE CAPITAL NEXT WEEK! You have until TOMORROW to pre-register for the 77th annual ACA Convention & Trade show 
to be held February 14-15 at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Convention Center. Please note that walk-in registrations are welcome, but meals are not guaranteed. If you want to secure your seat at the table, register before our deadline TOMORROW!
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! (334) 265-1867
Cattlemen Going Deep in the Heart
Staffers Erin Beasley and Ali Cantrell will be flying to San Antonio this for 
the 2020 NCBA Convention and Cattle Industry Trade Show. Staffer Ali Cantrell will be setting up a booth in one of the largest trade shows and looks forward to visiting with cattlemen. Throughout the three conference days, Ali will be attending checkoff-related meetings to receive updates on checkoff programs while Erin and the team of state officers and leaders attend policy, issues and organization meetings.
We salute Lee County CattleWoman Evelyn Greene who will take office as the American National CattleWomen’s president and look forward to celebrating her at a reception in San Antonio. We’re also proud to have Floridian Marty Smith taking the gavel as NCBA president to represent the Southeast.
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 new and potential sponsors, pre-recorded Business Breaks with WSFA to air nearer to the rodeo and began work on the Media Luncheon!
Alabama Legislative Session Kicks Off for 2020
On Tuesday, February 4, Alabama legislators gathered for their first day of session in Montgomery. In preparation for this legislative season, the Ag Coalition met here at ACA to discuss bills that could potentially take effect on Alabama’s agricultural industry. These watchdogs, including ACA’s lobbyist Erin Beasley, will spend much time in the State House over the next few months protecting your right to farm and keeping tabs on bills that may hinder your efforts to feed our growing population. Stay tuned for any updates, but we are hoping for a quiet season.
MEMBERSHIP UPDATE
To date, our ACA membership count is up to 5,941 and counting as county meetings are still in full swing. This week, staffers and officers will be on the road to attend the Chambers, Henry, Dale and Choctaw county meetings. New week, we look forward to visiting with the over 500 expected cattlemen coming to Montgomery and honoring our John Deere Gator winner, Priefert Chute “Over the Top” County winner, our Top Hand Club recruiters and our incoming state officers!
Consumer and Producer Advertising Going Strong
For 2020, cattlemen elected to push harder on our consumer and producer advertising. Throughout the year, you’ll see more producer-driven print ads in state agricultural publications and constant digital ads on social media driving producers to learn more about the work of thier checkoff dollars at www.BeefBoard.org. For consumers— like producers— constant Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. digital ads through Facebook and Instagram will be pushed in addition to programs such as our consumer e-newsletter and advertising on sporting fields across the state, consumer and influencer publications and on high-traffic billboards during summer grilling and October Beef Month. Our second monthly e-blast of 2020 will send on Friday to over 10,000 inboxes and features the heart-healthy benefits of lean beef in celebration of Heart Month.
To hear and little more about this initiative: Check out this link.
JUNIOR CATTLEMEN UPDATE
Next week will be our FIRST Youth contest held at ACA Convention. We are 
excited to see the juniors of Alabama compete in public speaking, career development, and the quiz bowl contest. If you missed out on the registration and wish to compete in the contest we will be accepting walk up registration at the registration booth on Friday the 14th at convention. The quiz bowl material will be general beef cattle knowledge (breeding, beef nutrition/cuts, cattle handling and practices). It will also include some Alabama Cattlemen’s Association, Alabama Cattlewomen’s Association, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, and Alabama Junior Cattlemen’s Association history questions. If you are competing in the quiz bowl and looking to brush up on your knowledge here are some links.
AJCA: www.BamaBeef.org/AJCA
ACA: https://www.bamabeef.org/p/about/18
ACWA: http://alabamacattlewomen.com
NCBA: https://www.ncba.org/about.aspx
Spring Field Day
Be on the lookout for registration for spring field day to open the first week in March. This year our field day will be held in Blountsville,Alabama at Quail Valley Farms on April 18. We look forward to seeing our youth come out and spend a day learning some new things about our industry!
Stopping in at Sales
This past Saturday, Staffer Ali Cantrell traveled to Cullman Stockyard to watch the Northeast Alabama Performance Breeders Sale. It was a great day of visiting with fellow cattle men and to witness 60 great angus bulls go through the sale!
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!
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