June has been a busy month. The going joke around the office is that everything that was supposed to happen last year is now happening in the next month. It’s a busy time, but we are enjoying the opportunity to get out and see so many that we have not seen in quite some time. As the weather heats up, we hope you all are checking off your summer to-do list around the farm and enjoying some extra labor by way of kids and grandkids who are home from school for a few months! Saddle up because there’s a busy summer ahead. Keep reading to learn more and stay up to date with the work happening here in the state office!
Congratulations WLAC Champion, Chuck Bradley!
Chuck Bradley, from Rockford, Ala., was named the 2021 World Livestock Auctioneer Champion at the 57th annual competition held at Dickson Regional Livestock Center, Dickson, Tenn., and presented by the Livestock Marketing Association (LMA).
Bradley, a three-time qualifier of the WLAC event and 2019 WLAC Reserve Champion Auctioneer, earned his spot to this year’s competition by winning LMA’s 2020 Western Qualifying Event. Twenty-eight other contestants also qualified through three regional qualifying events and received a bye into the 2021 competition due to a cancellation of last year’s event.
“It was such a surreal moment,” Bradley said. “I was in awe. You go back and look at the other past champions, and it’s an elite group. To be classified into that group now, really means a lot to me.”
As a part of the champion’s role, Bradley will spend the next year traveling the country, sharing his auctioneering skills with other livestock auction markets and acting as a spokesperson on behalf of the livestock marketing industry and LMA.
“A lot of us who compete in this contest auctioneer for a living every day,” Bradley said. “This year I’m planning to continue to still go out in the field and interact with markets and their producers, while promoting LMA.
Bradley, a graduate of North Georgia School of Auctioneering, works as an auctioneer for Montgomery Stock Yards, LLC in Montgomery, Ala. He lives in Equality, Ala., with his wife Jill and two children.
Fired Up for Cattlemen’s Cookouts
If you’re a member of the ACA, you’re invited to join us for a summertime cookout! We hosted our first of five regional cookouts last week at Perdido River Farms in Atmore and WHOA what a turnout! We enjoyed a delicious steak dinner and state update with more than 100 members from Alabama’s southwest corner! ACA officers and staff will be traveling to other parts of the state hosting membership meetings and meals so we can all catch up, also! If you have not renewed your membership, you’re still invited as we will be accepting membership dues on site. Come on out and enjoy an evening of good food and Cattlemen fellowship! The meeting dates and times are as follows:
SOUTHEAST ALABAMA: June 29 at 5:30 p.m. at Pike County Cattleman’s Park (Troy)
EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA: July 22 at 5:30 p.m. at Wellborn Musclecar Museum (Alex City, AL)
WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA: August 2 at 5:30 p.m. at Big Mike’s Steakhouse (Moundville)
NORTH ALABAMA: August 3 at 5:30 p.m. at Tennessee Valley REC (Belle Mina)
There is no cost to attend this event. All we ask is that you RSVP with your name and the location of the meeting you would like to attend at least one week prior to the event date. This will ensure that we have enough food for all! Simply call or email us at: (334) 265-1867 or morgan@bamabeef.org
Bainbridge Block Party: Roots, Boots & Chicken Coops
Speaking of cookouts, we’re partnering with Alabama Poultry & Egg and the Alabama Forestry Association to host a fellowship event to highlight the three ag commodities located on Bainbridge Street in downtown Montgomery! We’ll be making a scene on June 25 from 11-2. Learn More
Anyone is invited to come out if you would like and join us for all the fun. We will be cooking beef burgers and chicken wings for anyone that comes, and we will have Sweet Grown Alabama farmer’s market style booths selling home grown products. We plan to invite local FFA chapters, 4H, and students in the area for games, food, and a reading of “Lucy Meets a Logger” by Stephanie Fuller of the Alabama Forestry Association in The MOOseum. Please let ACA staffer Ali Cantrell know if you plan to attend or would like to help out during the day!
Burgers on the Base
If you thought we were done talking about cookouts, you were wrong! Tomorrow the ACA crew will load up and gather with county and state leaders from all over the River Region as we grill up burgers and all-beef hotdogs for more than 800 military personnel stationed at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery. We are proud to partner with Sweet Grown Alabama, CK Cattle, Thousand Hills Cattle and Vista Farms to provide 800-1,000 burgers to airmen and their families for their annual Summer Base Wide Picnic. This event will feature food, games, music and more to honor the families who serve our country. We’re proud to be offering locally-produced beef at this event, thanks to our partnership with Sweet Grown and their members! Stay tuned for photos, and God Bless America!
15th Annual AJCA Round-Up
Round-Up Registration is LIVE! We are looking forward to our 15th annual Round-Up July 15-18. Join us in Montgomery for a weekend full of family fun. 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. This event would not be possible without our many sponsors each year. If you are interested in sponsoring at any level please reach out to Morgan Desselle at morgan@bamabeef.org 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! Applications and registration close July 2.
Cooking Segments Across Alabama
Coming up next on Cooking with John, is your Beef Checkoff dollars at work! Tune into WKRG this summer, October and December for beef recipes prepared by some of your favorite local cattlemen, cattlewomen and junior cattlemen! Here’s the lineup:
Airing TODAY: Kendra Moravec will prepare Barbecue Chipotle Burgers for summer grilling
Airing 7/17: Thomas Cotton is serving up summertime Surf N’ Turf Tenderloin
Airing 9/29: Ali Cantrell is mixing up a heart healthy Farmers Market Vegetable Beef Brown Rice Salad
Airing 10/14: Abbie Jo Gibson will prepare Beef Brisket for October Beef Month
Airing 12/9: Just in time for holiday roasting, Ali Cantrell will prepare delicious Beef Wellington
Staffer Ali Cantrell has also secured segments to air in the Montgomery and Huntsville DMAs. Stay tuned for more info on that!
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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