Alabama Cattlemen's Association

Bama Beef Blog Weekly Update: August 26, 2020

And, in the blink of an eye, we are just about to flip our calendar from August and into the fall months. As calves start to fill the farm landscapes, and harvest takes up time, your state Cattlemen’s staff is busy with a whole list of events and activities that keep our fall calendar full— even on a year like 2020. Cattle sales, beef promotion, educational events and of course, October Beef Month are all top of mind these days. Keep reading to learn more about all that’s going on to prepare for FALL!

Successful Weekend with YCLP

Young Cattlemen’s Leadership Program Class VII headed south to Mobile County for its second session this past weekend. The class enjoyed Extension Specialist Ken Kelly’s talk as they learned about budgeting, forages and record keeping practices. We appreciate support from Ken Kelly and Dr. Kelly Palmer as they helped in planning session two and providing education to this year’s class. While in Grand Bay, the participants got to visit two producers. The class visited Mr. Anthony Faggard and Mr. Calvin Freeland of Mobile County. We appreciate their Southern hospitality as they toured the YCLP participants at their farms and offered their extensive knowledge of forages, stockering calves and marketing cattle.

The MOOseum- VOTE NOW

The MOOseum is in a contest to be named the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Small Business Impact Maker! Hope over to the website today to vote for The MOOseum! We sure are proud of our children’s educational center, and you should be too. Website: https://www.montgomerychamber.com/mgm-impact-makers

Bama’s Best Beef Update

This week launched our first of four photo challenges featuring our eight semifinalist restaurants and dishes! This week, Bear Creek on the Trail’s Prime Rib from Cherokee, AL in Lauderdale County went head-to-head with Bama Buck’s Trophy Mount Ribeye, a beloved dish from Sardis City in Etowah County. In this round of the contest, Bama Bucks secured its seat in the Final 4 with almost 500 votes! Special thanks to both restaurants for participating. Our next photo challenge launches tomorrow and will feature Fayette County’s own Fannie’s Vista Burger against Jeff’s Place Ribeye Steak Sandwich from Roanoke. Be sure to pump up your local dives with a vote and a visit!

Membership Update

We are excited this week as we broke 9,000 members and are on our way to 10,000 in 2020! Final membership statements have hit mailboxes, and those remittances are coming back to the state office and online. We are also beginning a series of membership giveaways on Facebook to promote joining or renewing with the ACA. The first giveaway launched today and features a beautiful, custom bamboo charcuterie serving board! Anyone who joins or renews today through Sunday will be entered to win, and this is just the first of many awesome prize packages to encourage membership!

Cattle Sale Season

Sale Season has officially arrived! We are excited to be able to get out and support our producers all across the state in their sales. Staffer, Morgan Pounds enjoyed the Piedmont Feeder Calf sale last Thursday in Lafayette and hopped online yesterday to enjoy the all-virtual Alabama & Mississippi Simmental Sale. She and staffer Kayla Greer are heading to Uniontown on Friday for the 22 Annual Herdbuilder Replacement Female sale! We hope to see you there. Check out all the upcoming sales at www.BamaBeef.org/CattleSales or in your next issue of the Alabama Cattleman.

Beef Up the Blood Supply

This October, ACA is going to “Beef Up the Blood Supply” throughout Alabama in partnership with Lifesouth. To celebrate Beef Month and do our civic duties, we will be hosting a week of blood donations across Alabama starting in Dothan on October 12! If you live in the Dothan area, have blood, and love a good steak — please reach out to us about donating blood that day, and you will receive a discount on a Conestoga Steak for your donation. Then, the Beef Truck will be driving to Decatur Morgan Hospital in north Alabama for two straight days of blood donation and giving away steak sandwiches and beef meal vouchers. We will return to The MOOseum on October 15 for blood donations in the Montgomery area and then will wrap up the week at the Pike County Cattlemen’s Association building in Troy, AL. Please contact ACA’s Ali Cantrell about getting signed up for these blood drives if they are near your area!

Save the Date- Beef Checkoff Task Force

The Alabama Beef Checkoff Task Force meeting will be held Thursday, October 29 at the Cattlemen’s building in Montgomery. ANY cattlemen in Alabama interested in attending this meeting is welcome to do so by contacting the ACA office at (334) 265-1867. It is a way to get completely involved in the process and having a say in how beef checkoff dollars are spent in the state. The ideas that come out of the task force meeting will be put into a marketing plan and presented to the Beef Checkoff Council for approval and budgeting. Contact an ACA officer or the office today to get more information on the meeting.

SLE Update

The Southeastern Livestock Exposition is gearing up for the 2021 season as meetings to kick start the year are in the works. Staffer Lauren Wilson will host a budget meeting and sponsorship committee meeting in the coming week, and the SLE Annual Meeting and Membership Dinner will be Thursday, September 24. If you are a member of the SLE, please remember to RSVP to that event by calling (334) 265-1867 or emailing Sydney Dougherty.

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 Weekly Update: August 19, 2020

Can you believe August is halfway finished, and we are headed quickly into the fall months!? This year has been the slowest and fastest year, combined! It’s certainly a year for the history books. As we prepare for the fall season ahead, we look forward to heavy-paged magazines full of sale ads, heavy-bred cattle ready to calve and a very beef October as we prepare to celebrate Beef Month. Our sites are set on all there is to look forward to, but keep reading to hear about what’s going on this week.

ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL STABALIZATION PROGRAM

The Alabama Cattlemen’s Association (ACA) hails Gov. Kay Ivey for her approval of the Alabama Agricultural Stabilization Program, which includes $10.5 million for the beef cattle industry. Funding is provided as part of the $1.8 billion Alabama received from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and will be implemented through the Department of Agriculture and Industries.

The ACA along with industry stakeholders worked in coordination with the Department of Agriculture and Industries to propose framework for a program specifically for the cattle industry. “We are appreciative of Gov. Ivey’s continued support and recognition of the importance of Alabama’s beef cattle industry,” ACA President Larry Reeves said. “Economic stability is imperative for cattlemen, and these funds will help alleviate the financial stresses incurred from this ongoing pandemic.” The program will provide $10.5 million to cattle producers in Alabama who sold cattle from April 16-May 15, 2020. This timeframe falls out of the parameters of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), which provided direct payment for cattle sold January 15-April 15. Cattlemen in the state who sold cattle during the April 16-May 15 time period should expect to provide a sales receipt outlining the number of cattle sold, date of sale, and weight of cattle to be eligible for application. Those approved will receive $69/head for calves weighing less than 600 pounds, $106/head for cattle 601-900 pounds and $181/head for cattle over 900 pounds. Additionally, $1.5 million have been awarded as a grant program for existing small meat processors in the state to increase slaughter capacity.

HEADED TO THE BURGER BASH

This Friday, ACA Director of Education & Outreach Ali Cantrell will be traveling to Houston County for a Burger Bash! Cattlemen from Houston County and many other civic servants in the community will be cooking burgers for first responders in the area as a thank you for their service. It’s always a great day when you can show gratitude to someone by feeding them a delicious beef dish!

BOARD MEETING RECAP & MEMBERSHIP UPDATE

Thanks to all who attended last week’s Board of Directors meeting, whether in-person or virtually. We hosted a great event with Cattlemen’s Beef Board update, a state checkoff report, information about the new Alabama Agricultural Stabilization Program and a vote on a by-laws change. We also celebrated 18 counties who went “Over the Top” in the 2020 membership year. Stay tuned for a report in the upcoming magazine. Also, don’t forget to keep recruiting members! As it stands today, the ACA is the proud home of 8,972 members…but let’s make it 10,000!

THE MOOSEUM- MGM IMPACT MAKER

OCTOBER BEEF MONTH PLANNING

October is top of mind these days for staffers Ali Cantrell and Kayla Greer as the duo seek to tackle the month of beef promotion efforts. Cooking segments on statewide local news are in the works, as well as radio, while digital plans are also shaping up. Be on the lookout for fun giveaways, educational videos and lots and lots of beautiful beef imagery and recipes to share on social media! We are looking forward to continuing this beloved ACA tradition of promoting beef in October! If your county is in need of promotional materials or books to read to schools, be sure to contact Ali at our office!

BAMA’S BEST BEEF CONTEST- NOMINATIONS ARE IN!

Nominations for the 2020 Bama’s Best Beef contest are now closed, and staff is working to sort through the more than 5,000 submissions to narrow down our 8 semifinalists! Now more than ever, we need to show our support for those locally owned restaurants that do a great job of bringing the BEEF! 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. Stay tuned for photo challenges to begin on our Facebook page this Sunday!

HEADED SOUTH TO SHOW SOME SLE GRATITUDE

SLE staffers Lauren Wilson and Erin Beasley headed south today to visit the Poarch Band of Creek Indians headquarters in Atmore, AL. Their objectives were to deliver thank you cards submitted by our many PBCI scholarship recipients and present the 2020 sponsor buckle to Keith Martin and Trina Rackard. They enjoyed the visit down, and of course, very much appreciate the continued generous support of the PBCI to Alabama’s youth and the SLE Rodeo.

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.

Kids in the Kitchen

Incorporating Beef’s Bold Nutrition into At-Home Learning

By Elesha Ergle, RDN

In these uncertain times, there are some things that continue to remain constant. Good nutrition for our kids is vital for their growth and development. Growing children need plenty of high-quality protein to support proper muscle and tissue growth, with adolescent athletes’ needs being even higher. Lean beef is an excellent source of high-quality protein, with the proteins in beef providing a great source of the amino acid, leucine, which is vital to muscle growth and development. A three-ounce portion of lean beef contains about 25 grams of protein and 10 essential nutrients, giving it the “gold star” of nutrition!

Amid the pandemic, you are probably spending more time eating at home, and beef is here to help. Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner has an entire collection of “Kid-Friendly Fare” that can help you get more of beef’s high quality proteins into your little scholars’ diets.

With some schools and sports preparing to return this fall— as well as some preparing for online learning— kids will need optimal fuel to get them through their busy days. Many schools do not offer culinary classes, so teaching cooking skills at home is a great way to incorporate learning while also checking off your lunchtime to-do list.

Because cooking can even be overwhelming to some adults, start simply and slowly. Choose your recipes wisely, and don’t try to cook something that you know your kids will not eat. Ease in to the process with Personal Beef Pizzas. Kids can prepare their own pizza and make a wide variety of toppings available to them to include some veggies. Let them chop or slice veggies (as age appropriate) and through their culinary involvement, they will be more likely to try them. Get kids involved in recipe choices, ingredient swaps, and creative ideas for serving. Let go of your control factor in the kitchen and let them be kids…let them make messes and remember it is not supposed to look just like that picture on the internet.

Assign kids their own tasks that are age appropriate, and let them even have their own measuring cups, plates, or even an apron. Using recipes like Beef Jerky Trail Mix, kids can make their own healthy snacks with no actual cooking involved. Get your young athletes involved in the kitchen by helping them make Beef Jerky Granola Bars. The mix of high-quality protein and carbs in this recipe is the perfect pre-or-post game (or practice) fuel.

While you are teaching in the kitchen, now is the perfect time to talk food safety with your kids. Going through the proper handwashing techniques, using different cutting boards and knives between meats and vegetables, and discussing the proper cooking temperatures are all great life skills that children will need to master to be successful now, and later on, in the kitchen.

Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner is a great teaching tool while working in the kitchen with your kids. From simple recipes and videos to nutrition information and information about beef from pasture to plate, anything you need for a delicious and nutritious lesson plan in there.

So, head to kitchen to prepare for, and tackle, this year’s school year.

This article was funded by the Alabama Beef Checkoff Program. Brought to you by Alabama beef farmers and ranchers.

Bama Beef Blog Weekly Update: August 5, 2020

And just like that, it’s August! More than halfway through 2020, and this must be the longest year in history. It certainly has been one for the history books! As we turn ahead to board sale season, bull sale season and a busy fall full of beef promotion, we are giddy to get our boots on the ground. Keep reading to find out what’s to come and what’s happening this week at the ACA.

MEMBERSHIP UPDATE & BOARD MEMO

The “Over the Top” deadline has come and gone, and we’d like to congratulate those counties that went over their membership goals and earned their presidents an iconic ACA red coat. We had 18 counties achieve this goal, and they are: Auburn Collegiate, Chambers, Choctaw, Clay, Coffee, Colbert, Coosa, Covington, Franklin, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lowndes, Madison, Morgan, Randolph, St Clair, Tallapoosa and Washington counties.

We would also like to remind county leaders that next week’s board meeting will take place on Thursday, August 13 at the RSA Activity Center in downtown Montgomery. Due to COVID-19, this meeting will allow only a limited audience of one(1) representative per county and will require masks or face coverings. If you haven’t yet, be sure to RSVP to Jessica Kennedy here at the office.

Cattlemen’s sale calendar

With the release of the August magazine came an update to the Cattlemen’s Sale Calendar. The fall is a busy season for sales, and while some may look a little different or be completely online this year, others are continuing on as usual. Be sure to check out the updated events calendar and tag what sales you’ll be attending this year! www.BamaBeef.org/CattleSales

BAMA’S BEST BEEF NOMINATIONS

Nominations for the 2020 Bama’s Best Beef contest are now open, so head over to our website to submit your favorite hometown beef dish. Now more than ever, we need to show our support for those locally owned restaurants that do a great job of bringing the BEEF! 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 are live on www.BamaBeef.org/BestBeef so click the link and nominate, nominate, nominate!

HEADED SOUTH FOR FARM TOURS

Staffers Morgan Pounds and Kayla Greer will head south on Wednesday for farm visits and photos. They are looking forward to spending time with Cattlemen in the Mobile County Area. They will be stopping by Anthony Faggard and Calvin Freeland’s operation, both in Grand Bay, to learn what they do day to day on their farms. Director of Field Services Morgan Pounds is always searching for different farms to tour all across the state. If you are a member and would like to host a YCLP Tour or AJCA Field Day at your farm in the future, please contact her for a farm visit.

LOOKING AHEAD

This week has focused a lot on looking ahead as October and the kickoff of the SLE Rodeo timeline takes place. This week, staff with SLE Rodeo met to lay out a timeline for the remainder of the 2020 and into 2021. Checkoff staff also met to layout a marketing plan and budget for October Beef Month. As you can imagine, it will look a little different than normal, but the beauty of digital marketing is that it is always on! Never fear, beef will be promoted no matter what!!

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.