Month: July 2020

As we near the end of July, our eyes turn to a busy fall season ahead. Schools return in session, and all the activities that come with the school time season do also. While it may look different in 2020, the fact still remains the same…beef can fuel you through it! The fall focuses on ramped up beef promotions and producer events, and we look forward to putting our boots on the ground for both. While we look ahead, we are also keeping our heads down on the work at hand. Keep reading to learn more about what your ACA staff is up to this week!

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ACA LEADERS IN DENVER

Clay Kennamer, Jim Jordan and Erin Beasley are in the Denver this week while President Larry Reeves joins in virtually for the NCBA Summer Meeting. The group will be voting on new policies, resolutions and receiving an update from the Denver office and staff. They took the opinions of Alabama Cattlemen received during our virtual round-ups and aim to represent cattlemen from our home state in their voting efforts!

ATTENDING THE ALABAMA GROCERS CONVENTION

On July 27- 29, ACA’s Ali Cantrell will be headed to Destin, FL to meet with retailers and wholesalers at the Alabama Grocers Association Convention. The convention will have a small trade show during the lunch hour of each day for exhibitors to meet with retailers and host a booth with promotional material. Ali will be speaking with attendees about Beef promotion in the retail sector as well as future educational opportunities with staff and sales such as a BEEF 101.

JUNIOR LEADERS COME TO TOWN

ACA Director of Field Services Morgan Pounds welcomed the newly-elected AJCA Board to Montgomery Monday and Tuesday for their first meeting of their term. This meeting was heavily focused on leadership and team building. The group conducted meetings discussing upcoming events, officer responsibilities, and goals as an overall board for 2021. The AJCA Board also evaluated the 2020 Round-Up and decided to release another survey to get feedback from participants. If you participated in 2020 Round-Up or where in attendance please take the survey here to help us plan for next year.

THE MOOSEUM AND ONLINE GIFT SHOP STAYING BUSY

The MOOseum is open for business for small groups. Masks and temperature checks are required, but that’s not stopping visitors from walking through our doors! We’ve had several tour groups stop by to learn about Alabama’s beef cattle industry as our indoor educational facility is a welcomed stop to parents and childcare leaders looking to keep their kiddos entertained.

Also, online sales have not stopped! In fact, they have revved up tremendously and we are proud to now offer Alabama Junior Cattlemen’s Association (AJCA) T-shirts for sale on the store, so purchase one to support our youth organization today! www.BamaBeef.org/Store

BAMA’S BEST BEEF NOMINATIONS FIRE UP

Get ready to nominate your favorite hometown beef dish THIS WEEK as nominations for the 2020 Bama’s Best Beef contest open up on Friday. This year’s contest combines our spring and fall promotions and will have an added bonus of a People’s Choice contest, in conjunction with the actual tasting round featuring a panel of industry judges. Nominations will be live on www.BamaBeef.org/BestBeef so be on the lookout and nominate, nominate, nominate!

MEMBERSHIP UPDATE

As of today, the ACA is proud to represent 8,780 members of our state association and counting as counties continue to recruit new and renewal members. County leaders- don’t forget the new “Over the Top” deadline is THIS FRIDAY, July 31. Help us get to 10,000 members strong while earning your iconic ACA red coat! We also encourage ONE representative to save the date for August 13 as we will be hosting a very limited audience Board of Directors Meeting in Montgomery at the RSA Activity Center.

ACES TO HOLD SHORT COURSES THIS FALL

Producers new to the cattle business should attend Alabama Extension’s new Beef Systems Short Course.   The short course is a multi-night lecture series covering the fundamentals of beef production and is geared for new and limited experience producers.

Producers can take the course at different locations around the state, including Jasper, Hayneville, Texasville and Centre.  These are regional meetings and producers should select the location and dates most convenient for them. Over four nights, producers will learn critical information on profitable beef production.

There is a $40 registration fee, and all participants will receive a copy of Extension’s recently updated Alabama Beef Handbook.

Alabama Extension animal scientists developed a concentrated curriculum that is most vital for new cattle producers to master. The course will be taught by Extension regional animal science agent. Learn more and register at www.ACES.edu.

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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.

What Round-Up. Those masks were hot, and the sunshine was hotter…but boy oh boy, what a weekend it was! Despite all the curveballs COVID-19 threw our way, ACA Director of Field Services Morgan Pounds handled the changes with grace and pulled off an awesome youth event! We hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did. But, now that the 2020 Round-Up has ridden off into the sunset, we are turning our eyes to the fall months and all the fun that brings os saddle up for this week’s update and let us know if we can do anything to help you!

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ROUND-UP WRAP UP

We were thrilled to welcome over 115 youth and 150 cattle to the Garrett Coliseum fairgrounds this weekend for several youth educational contests and three cattle shows. Congrats to all who competed, won and took home big prizes. This year’s overall Top Junior Competitor was Mackenzie Smith of Marshall County. The Overall Intermediate Competitor was Victoria Thompson of Lee County, while her big sister Jewel Thompson took home the Overall Senior Competitor buckle. The Supreme Champion Breeding Heifer was exhibited by Annabelle Wesley of Pike County, while Caleb Fields of Morgan County took home the Grand Champion Market Animal buckle. The Bred & Owned Champion was Audra Graves of Blount County. Stay tuned for the September issue of the Alabama Cattleman magazine for a line-up of ALL the weekend’s winners.

We are also thrilled to introduce you to the 2020-2021 Board of Directors.

President: Hannah Maddox, Dekalb
Vice President: Will Meadows, Houston
Secretary: Hannah Grace Childress, Chilton
Treasurer: Russell Jordan, Clay
Ex- Officio: Ashlyn Ruf, Limestone
District 1: Corley Williams, Marshall
District 2: Brooke Ginn, Calhoun
District 3: Jewel Thompson, Lee
District 3: Victoria Thompson, Lee
District 4: Matthew Baxley, Geneva
At-Large: Walker Johnson, Cullman

SWEET GROWN ALABAMA DAY

Today, we enjoyed the opportunity to participate in Sweet Grown Alabama Day, a kickoff farmers market-style event that highlighted many members of the new state branding program, Sweet Grown Alabama. Commissioner Rick Pate, Gov. Kay Ivey and a host of other dignitaries installed the program and welcomed visitors to the state branding launch as we celebrated Alabama agriculture and the spoils of our harvest.

We as an association will work closely with this program moving forward as official Supporters and advocates for cattle producers who sell homegrown freezer beef. If you are interested in being a Sweet Grown Alabama member and having your products listed for sale on their database, visit www.SweetGrownAlabama.org.

CHECKOFF SIGNS GRILLING FORECAST SPONSORSHIP WITH WAFF

For those who tune into WAFF for your local news, be on the lookout beginning in August for a Weekend Grilling Forecast, brought to you by BEEF! This will be a very eye-catching campaign, and completes our task of promoting summer grilling statewide. This campaign matches two billboard campaigns in the Birmingham area and east/Central Alabama. We also have radio promotions going in Mobile, Montgomery, Birmingham and Huntsville and statewide digital advertising through AL.com. This all matches the advertising we are doing through our own social media properties and the website. Summer grilling has been top of mind as families “STEAK at Home.” Visit www.UnitedWeSteak.com/Alabama to learn more.

MEMBERSHIP UPDATE

As of today, the ACA is proud to represent 8,723 members of our state association and counting as counties continue to recruit new and renewal members. County leaders- don’t forget the new “Over the Top” deadline has been extended to July 31. Help us get to 10,000 members strong while earning your president an iconic ACA red coat! We also encourage ONE representative to save the date for August 13 as we will be hosting a very limited audience Board of Directors Meeting in Montgomery at the RSA Activity Center.

We also like to highlight our associate members every once in a while, so join us in celebrating our close industry partners of the association.

• ALFA Insurance
• Ritchie Industries
• Alabama Farmers Cooperative
• TriGreen Equipment
• Alabama Ag Credit \ Alabama Farm Credit
• Lake Majestik Farms
• Mix30 by Agridyne
• Corteva
• Southeast Select Sires
• Tucker Milling, LLC
• Mr. Fix-It
• Cargill

ACA AT ALABAMA GROCERS ASSOCIATION CONVENTION

On July 27- 29, ACA’s Ali Cantrell will be headed to Destin, FL to meet with retailers and wholesalers at the Alabama Grocers Association Convention. The convention will have a small trade show during the lunch hour of each day for exhibitors to meet with retailers and host a booth with promotional material. Ali will be speaking with attendees about Beef promotion in the retail sector as well as future educational opportunities with staff and sales such as a Beef 101.

ACES SET TO HOST BEEF SHORT COURSES THIS FALL

Producers new to the cattle business should attend Alabama Extension’s new Beef Systems Short Course.   The short course is a multi-night lecture series covering the fundamentals of beef production and is geared for new and limited experience producers.

Producers can take the course at different locations around the state, including Jasper, Hayneville, Texasville and Centre.  These are regional meetings and producers should select the location and dates most convenient for them. Over four nights, producers will learn critical information on profitable beef production.

There is a $40 registration fee, and all participants will receive a copy of Extension’s recently updated Alabama Beef Handbook.

Alabama Extension animal scientists developed a concentrated curriculum that is most vital for new cattle producers to master. The course will be taught by Extension regional animal science agent. Learn more and register at www.ACES.edu.

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.

The temperatures are rising, and Alabama is due an intense heat wave this weekend…that can only mean one thing. The AJCA Round-Up is near! As our office prepares for the large youth event, we are also balancing a busy promotional and membership calendar. Despite the times and all the interruptions they bring, we are still busy around the ACA. Keep reading to learn more.

ACA HOSTS VIRTUAL REGIONAL ROUND-UPS

In an effort to stay in touch with our county leaders, state officers and staff are hosting four virtual meetings to update leaders on the work of the association and hear from what’s happening in the countryside. It has been a joy to “see” some familiar faces, starting with Tuesday evening’s north Alabama meeting. On Thursday, north central leaders with “gather” online for their round of updates. Then, next Tuesday and Wednesday will get us through the southern counties. We look forward to hopping online and chatting with our county leaders! If you haven’t heard from us regarding these virtual round-ups, please contact our office at (334) 265-1867.

SLE STRATEGICALLY PLANS

Board Members of the Southeastern Livestock Exposition gathered in person and via Zoom on Wednesday for a Strategic Planning Meeting. The agenda included outlining five and 10 year plans for the organization, along with creating a mission statement. They also covered a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) Analysis and addressed goals to work toward. They also talked about plans for the 2021 rodeo and get the ball rolling there.

MEMBERSHIP UPDATE

As of today, the ACA is proud to represent 8,578 members of our state association and counting as counties continue to recruit new and renewal members. County leaders- don’t forget the new “Over the Top” deadline has been extended to July 31. Help us get to 10,000 members strong while earning your president an iconic ACA red coat!

AJCA ROUND-UP: ON THE HORIZON!

We are excited to welcome 115 youth livestock exhibitors to the Garrett Coliseum for our 14^thAnnual Round-Up next week. We look forward to seeing the youth of Alabama compete in numerous educational contest all weekend. If you are planning to attend Round-Up as a spectator or exhibitor please be award that mask are MANDATORY in Montgomery city limits. We invite everyone to take part in watching the future of our industry compete on our Alabama Junior Cattlemen’s Association Facebook page. We will be streaming events throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday.

BAMA BEEF SALES DIRECTORY

This week, the ACA launched our Bama Beef online sales directory, which connects consumers looking for local beef to the cattlemen who produce it! The listings are now live at www.BamaBeef.org/BamaBeef, so if you know anyone who sells local beef, be sure to have them contact our office so we can include them on the directory! We also encourage you to share this link with consumers you may know who are looking to stock up on some local freezer beef.

ACES BEEF SYSTEMS SHOURT COURSES- COMING THIS FALL

Producers new to the cattle business should attend Alabama Extension’s new Beef Systems Short Course.   The short course is a multi-night lecture series covering the fundamentals of beef production and is geared for new and limited experience producers.

Producers can take the course at different locations around the state, including Jasper, Hayneville, Texasville and Centre.  These are regional meetings and producers should select the location and dates most convenient for them. Over four nights, producers will learn critical information on profitable beef production.

There is a $40 registration fee, and all participants will receive a copy of Extension’s recently updated Alabama Beef Handbook.

Alabama Extension animal scientists developed a concentrated curriculum that is most vital for new cattle producers to master. The course will be taught by Extension regional animal science agent. Learn more and register at www.ACES.edu.

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.

Welcome, July! And Happy Independence Week 🇺🇸 We will stop to celebrate our many freedoms and enjoy a weekend among family and in front of the grill, let us also remember those who have sacrificed for those freedoms. It’s not all about hamburgers and American Flag T-shirts. It’s about the blood, sweat a tears that those who came before us poured in order to make America the greatest country in the world. We salute our heritage and will work to preserve those values. Speaking of work, while the holiday week creates a slower pace in the workplace for many, your ACA team is still busy as we represent you here in our state’s capital. Keep reading for this week’s Bama Beef Update, and again, Happy Fourth of July!

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ACA ATTENDS ALMA ANNUAL MEETING

ACA Executive Vice President Erin Beasley and Director of Field Services Morgan Pounds spent a couple of days on Alabama’s most Southern tip this week as they attended the Alabama Livestock Marketing Association Annual Meeting in Orange Beach. As you may well know, Alabama’s livestock markets do not sell on the week of Fourth of July, which frees up these market owners to gather for a quick meeting. The success of our stockyards is vitally important to Alabama’s beef cattle industry, so Erin and Morgan wanted to hear about how they’re coming through COVID-19, provide them with an industry update and host dialogue about how we as an association can continue working with them for the betterment of our cattle industry. Check out the Southeast AgNet story, here.

MEMBERSHIP UPDATE

As of today, the ACA is proud to represent 8,533 members of our state association and counting as counties continue to recruit new and renewal members. County leaders- don’t forget the new “Over the Top” deadline has been extended to July 31. Help us get to 10,000 members strong while earning your president an iconic ACA red coat!

AJCA ROUND-UP REGISTRATION NOW CLOSED

Registration for the 2020 AJCA Round-Up has closed, and we are excited to welcome many, many youth in cattle to Montgomery in just two short weeks. While Morgan continues to filter through the entries, we’ll report back with more numbers next week. This year’s event may look a little different— as does everything— but we still look forward to an excellent show. A few changes to look for are the Opening Ceremonies, Awards Banquet are cancelled. We will announce awards by age division in smaller groups. Also, to avoid cross-contact, no food will be served throughout the event. As a reminder, be sure to bring a mask or type of face covering, by ordinance of the City of Montgomery. Stay tuned as more updates come about.

ACA LAUNCHES “STEAK HOME ALABAMA” CAMPAIGN

Just in time for the Fourth of July holiday, the Alabama Beef Checkoff Program is proud to extend a nationally-launched campaign here in our home state. Featuring a steak cut in to the shape of Alabama, the “United We Steak” summer grilling campaign offers a play on a classic, “Steak Home Alabama.” This patriotic campaign captures everything you love about grilling with friends and family. In Birmingham, billboards will feature the above imagery. Facebook and Instagram advertising has already launched and will see a bigger bump in paid advertising later this week, and radio stations are featuring the patriotic sound of the sizzle as stations in Huntsville, Birmingham, Mobile and Montgomery are all running summer grilling commercials, brought to listeners by BEEF.

BAMA BEEF SALES DIRECTORY

In response to growing demand for local beef products, the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association is in the process of creating a digital portal to directly connect consumers looking to purchase beef with those who produce it. We are now accepting submissions to be included in this directory, which we plan to launch publicly next week! If you are an Alabama beef producer who sells freezer beef, please add your operation to the listing by completing our form available also at www.BamaBeef.org/BamaBeef. Or you can call our office to relay the information. Just ask to speak with Ali Cantrell or Kayla Greer.

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.