Welcome, fall! Just as the autumn equinox hit, the weather turned cool and crisp— a welcomed occurrence for September! While it may not last forever, we will enjoy it for now, right? The turn in weather also sent calves falling to the ground…we’ve loved seeing all the fall calving photos on social media. Keep them coming! As with each year, the fall months are busy. They just may look a a little different than usual this year. Nevertheless, keep reading to learn what we’re up to this week at the ACA.
Boots on the Ground in South AL
When it comes to giving back, Alabama’s cattlemen know how to put boots on the ground! Several members of the Young Cattlemen’s Leadership Program joined staffers and Baldwin County leadership this past Saturday as we visited 14 different operations to provide feed, gasoline, water and most importantly, manual labor. Throughout the day, the seven different crews restored fence lines, cut up downed trees, removed debris and hopefully restored a little hope to the Baldwin Countians. The compassion of the volunteers and the gratefulness of the members was not mistaken. You can donate to these relief efforts, funded by the Alabama Cattlemen’s Foundation, at www.BamaBeef.org/Relief.
Alabama Agriculture Stabilization Program
Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded $26 Million of CARES Act Funds to assist Alabama Agriculture impacted by COVID-19. Funding will be used to establish the Alabama Agricultural Stabilization Program (AASP). No funds may be utilized for salaries, building projects, or capital improvements. Commissioner Rick Pate reminds everyone that the Cattle Producer Applications for the Alabama Agriculture Stabilization Program (AASP) will be available online beginning Tuesday Sept. 8, 2020, at 9 a.m. Applicants should visit crf.alabama.gov or agi.alabama.gov to apply.
In order to be eligible for cattle relief funds:
- You must be an Alabama resident
- You must be able to provide documentation that you sold cattle during the date range of April 16, 2020 through May 15, 2020. Slaughter cattle and bulls do not qualify for payment.
- If claiming payment for Dairy Production, you must have been eligible for USDA’s CFAP program for Dairy Production and you must provide the total amount of the CFAP payment you received for Dairy Production.
- Need a copy of your W-9
- Require successful submission of this application and signed certification and assurances form
- Must submit bank account information for electronic payment
- Must provide of a voided check or a memo from your bank with account number and routing number.
Maximum “per head” payments for beef cattle:
Less than 600 lbs. x $69/head
600-900 lbs. x $106/head
Fed cattle (Fats) (over 900 lbs.) x $181/head
If you have any questions regarding eligibility, please call 334-240-7100 or email: aasp-questions@agi.alabama.gov
USDA Releases CFAP 2 Program
On Monday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture opened application for a second round of COVID assistance relief through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), or CFAP 2. Key details include:
Signups began Monday, September 21 and will run through December 11, 2020.
Cattle Payments: The CFAP 2 payment rate for eligible beef cattle is $55 per head. Payments will be based on the maximum owned inventory of eligible livestock, excluding breeding stock, on a date selected by the producer, between Apr. 16, 2020, and Aug. 31, 2020.
More CFAP 2 details are available on USDA’s website: https://www.farmers.gov/cfap/livestock.
Congrats, Morgan!
It’s an exciting week in our office as on Saturday, we will all celebrate the marriage of one of our staffers, Morgan Pounds, to her fiancé, Tyler. This wedding is a long time coming as Morgan and Tyler were set to tie the knot in March before COVID reared its ugly head. Plans changed, but the excitement remains the same! Join us in wishing well the future Mrs. Morgan Desselle!! Email Morgan a Wedding Wish
Foundation Scholarships Now Open
Applications for the 2021-2022 Alabama Cattlemen’s Foundation Scholarships are now open online at www.BamaBeef.org/Scholarships. The ACF is proud to award over $65,000 in scholarships annually to Alabama’s youth in livestock and those who are the children or grandchildren of longtime members. We offer a variety of scholarships with a range of requirements— there’s truly something to fit any student! We appreciate those who purchase the Cowboy vanity car tag that help fund these scholarships, as well as the generous families who have endowed scholarships through our foundation. Applications CLOSE on November 6 at midnight, so be sure your favorite student(s) submits today!
Filming October Beef Month Cooking Segments
On Tuesday, ACA Director of Education and Outreach Ali Cantrell was joined in Mobile by Elesha Ergle, RDN and agriscience teacher and cattle producer Emily Dent to film cooking segments for Gulf Coast newscasts, to air in October. They highlighted the versatility of beef- hitting on heart health, cooking with kids and featuring all those delicious fall comforts and tailgating hits! If you’re in Mobile or surrounding counties, be sure to watch out each week for one of these Cooking with John segments to air!
Beef Up the Blood Supply
Speaking of October, this year, the ACA is going to “Beef Up the Blood Supply” throughout Alabama with LifeSouth Blood Bank. To celebrate Beef Month, 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 mobile 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 we will wrap up the week at the Pike County Cattlemen’s Association center in Troy, AL. Please contact our staffer, Ali Cantrell, about getting signed up for these blood drives if they are near your area!
Save the Date- Beef Checkoff Task Force Meeting
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 Annual Meeting
We look forward to the opportunity to eat and fellowship with members of the Southeastern Livestock Exposition on Thursday evening at the Wetumpka Civic Center for the group’s annual gathering. Membership will also conduct a meeting, in addition to the fun and fellowship. We look forward to a fun year for SLE!
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