It’s a big day in America as we observe Inauguration Day this January 20, 2021. While things may be transitioning in D.C., you can be assured that “all systems are go” in Montgomery at the Cattlemen’s Headquarters. We are full force headed into Convention and Rodeo season, and we’re excited to see all our people soon. Until we meet again, please continue to enjoy our weekly updates!
ACA Convention & Trade Show
Join us at the Sheraton Hotel as we’ll be Branding Up Birmingham during our 76th annual ACA Convention & Trade Show. Please note, the event will take place at the Sheraton Hotel but housing will be provided by The Westin, due to COVID-19 procedures. We’ve got excellent industry speakers including Elanco’s Dr. Sara Place and the United States Meat Exports Federation President Dan Halstrom. They’ll be bringing you all the news on beef sustainability and global beef marketing. Aside from the education, our event will feature a jam-up trade show, youth contests sponsored by the Alabama Beef Checkoff Program and, of course, delicious beef meals.
Get your seat at the table and be sure to join us March 5-6 by registering online now, and don’t forget to book your stay at the Westin Hotel online or by calling (205) 307-3600 and using code ACA. If you would like to be a vendor in our trade show, contact ACA’s Ali Cantrell to reserve your space or register online by clicking here.
Alabama Steak Championship
This past Saturday, the Alabama Steak Championship took place at Oak Mountain State Park in Jefferson County. There were 71 steak cooks competing for the title of Alabama Steak Champion, and 46 cooks will be competed in the “Anything Soupy” contest. Jefferson County Cattlemen Jeb Tate and Vice President Berry Jenkins as well as Colbert County Cattlemen Will Gotcher were the judges for the “Anything Soupy” contest as part of our sponsorship of the event. The Alabama Cattlemen’s Association was the steak sponsor for this event and staffer Ali Cantrell was on site with a booth with giveaways as well as ACA gear to sell. Stacey Croft from Moultrie, GA was the official winner of the steak competition. Congrats!
Audit Underway
The annual audit for the ACA has started this week which reviews the Association, Alabama Beef Checkoff, National Beef Checkoff and Foundation accounts. The audit is being conducted by Carr, Riggs and Ingram and will take about two weeks of on-site work to complete. The audited financial statements and reviews will be provided at the ACA Convention and Trade Show during the annual membership meeting on March 6.
SLE Rodeo Tickets Now on Sale
We are 71 days out from the first performance of 2021! 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 or call 888-2RODEO2 to learn more about all that SLE Livestock Week offers and to purchase your tickets today!
ACA Director of Rodeo Programs Lauren Wilson is fervently on the hunt for new sponsors. If you, your business or your friend’s business would like to sponsor this year’s event, contact Lauren at the office at (334) 265-1867.
Alabama Ag Coalition Resumes Meetings
On Friday of this week, the Alabama Ag Coalition— which maintains all the stakeholders in Alabama’s ag industry— will resume meeting at the ACA Building in preparation for the upcoming Legislative Session. The group will be discussing any upcoming legislation on the table pertaining to agriculture and aim to assume the Watchdog role come February 2 when the session kicks off.
Stopping by the Crenshaw County Belt Buckle Classic
Staffer Morgan Desselle will be attending Crenshaw Belt Buckle Classic this weekend to promote our 2021 AJCA events. We cannot wait to welcome youth from across the state to convention! We will be bringing back public speaking, career development and quiz bowl to ACA Convention. The contests are all sponsored by the Alabama Beef Checkoff Program and are free for youth to compete, while offering scholarship prizes. We look forward to seeing youth compete in these contests on Saturday, March 6 in Birmingham. Please visit our convention webpage to register and view the rules on these youth contests.
Young Cattlemen’s Leadership Program: Apps Now Open
We are now accepting Young Cattlemen’s Leadership Program Class VIII applications. This program is funded by the Alabama Beef Checkoff Program and offers young producers a chance to tour Alabama farms, meet industry leaders, and network with young producers from across the state. Throughout the program, young cattlemen will meet six times and walk away with connections, knowledge, and leadership skills that will aid in their day-to-day operations. Please visit our YCLP application form to read more and see if this program is something that interest you! Apply here for YCLP Class VIII
2021 Membership Update
County leaders, please submit your county annual meeting information to Membership Coordinator Jessica Kennedy ASAP. Even if you haven’t nailed down a date, we’d love to know if you’re postponing your normal meeting, so we can make note of that for your members! Please also send in officer updates, with emphasis on cell phone and email addresses so we can keep them in the loop. Also, leaders, you should be receiving membership renewals in the mail, and as a reminder, please get those entered or sent in by the 15th of each month for those members to receive the following month’s magazine. Those mailing sending in updates to the state office need to do so earlier to allow time for processing!
AJCA News
New year, new ideas! We are excited to announce we will be sending out a quarterly e-newsletters to anyone who would like to stay updated on junior events and opportunities! Subscribe today to our Alabama Junior Cattlemen’s Association quarterly newsletter, and get the latest on updates from your AJCA Board of Directors! https://www.bamabeef.org/ajcanews
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