We’ll keep this short and sweet since we will be seeing many of our regular readers tomorrow for the Council and Board meetings! It is no doubt a busy week at the ACA, so keep reading to learn more about what’s going on!
A Cattlemen Buzz in Montgomery This Week
Boots, hats and those iconic red coats will stampede downtown Montgomery as we host several meetings in the same day! Tomorrow at 10 a.m. the Alabama Beef Checkoff Council will gather at the Cattlemen’s building for a quarterly meeting preceding the Spring Board of Directors Meeting taking place at 12 p.m. at the RSA Activity Center. We plan for this to be the last Board meeting to take place outside of our building as COVID restrictions in the state and City of Montgomery are slowly being lifted. We will also host our Young Cattlemen’s Leadership Program Council tomorrow for a meeting to be held in conjunction with the kickoff of the eighth class. Keep reading to learn more about that!
Young Cattlemen’s Leadership Program Kick-Offs Class VIII
The Young Cattlemen’s Leadership Program (YCLP) welcomes our eighth class to Montgomery tomorrow! The class will start their day off at the ACA Building in downtown as they learn about the ACA and the many hats we wear. Dr. Don Mulvaney will then interact with the class and build on their leadership skills. After an educational session and getting to know fellow classmates a little bit, the class will head over to the May Board of Directors Meeting to understand how ACA conducts its business and hear from special guest, Attorney General Steve Marshall.
The class will then head the Frank Turner and Sons Farm in Hayneville to enjoy a tour led by Farm Manager and Alabama Beef Checkoff Council Chairman Nathan Lipscomb. As chairman, Nathan will also speak to the class on the importance of checkoff programming in Alabama. We will then wrap up the first day at Kick Back Ranch and Events Center with Montgomery County Cattlemen cooking a hamburger dinner for the class!
Saturday the class will head to Lambert-Powell Meats Lab at Auburn University to take part in a BEEF 201 program. We look forward to meeting all the members of this year’s class!
Beef 101 is BACK…in-person, that is!
As aforementioned, this Friday, the new YCLP class will be participating in our Beef 201 program at Auburn’s Meat Lab instead of enjoying the virtual learning experience. With that said, we are excited to see this program returning back to normal and happening in person for the fall! ACA Director of Education and Outreach Ali Cantrell is preparing to schedule more Beef 101 programs for the fall. If you are interested in attending a Beef 101 or scheduling a date for a big group, please contact her at acantrell@bamabeef.org or call at 334-265-1867.
Junior Activities, Coming Up!
ACA Director of Field Services Morgan Desselle is hard at work preparing for the Alabama Junior Cattlemen’s Association(AJCA) Round-Up that is just around the corner. The AJCA Round-Up packet and registration will be live on on this coming up Monday, May 17. Round-Up registration will close July 2. The AJCA Round-Up is more than a calf show. This event is full of educational contest and family fun! We welcome anyone who would like to support our youth by being a spectator.
The Round-Up also host the AJCA District Director elections. If you know of a young motivated AJCA member from the ages 15-21, encourage them to apply to the AJCA Board of Directors! The application is now live on the site! The AJCA Board serves the ACA and AWCA by volunteering their time to help out at beef promotional and educational events through out the year. This is a great way for youth to learn more about the industry and connect with industry leaders!
AJCA is excited to host two ZOOM meeting opportunities for county leadership looking to grow their junior cattlemen’s involvement. Join us May 25 or 27 for an hour of discussion with junior leaders across the state! They will share their tips, tricks, and experiences on how to engage youth at a county level. To register or learn more visit our youth event calendar at https://www.bamabeef.org/events/youth.
YCLP Alumni Reunion, Next Weekend!
We look forward to an excellent inaugural YCLP Alumni Reunion May 21-22 at Kick Back Ranch in Ada, Alabama! Registration closed on Monday for this event, and we are excited to have a crowd of around 75 joining us for the fun. The reunion will feature networking opportunities and several educational sessions for program alumni. Special thanks to all who sponsored this event and plan to join us for a weekend of good, old-fashioned fellowship!
Bama Beef Events Calendar
The online Bama Beef Events Calendar is getting a list of new events daily. As Extension begins to normalize, educational programs are popping up across the state. County cattlemen’s chapters are beginning to think about meeting. Sales are lining up. Steak sandwich sales are firing up, and Junior Cattlemen events eyeball those free summer months! Not only that, but summertime means grilling season. We all know that beef is king of the grill, so summer beef promotions are also firing up! Make it a daily task to check out our calendar and keep an eye on events coming near you!
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