August is nearing an end. Wow, when did it even start?! It has been a busy month in the association world as the first week was dedicated to wrapping up regional meetings, followed by National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Annual Meeting, followed by State Board Meeting week. Our heads are still spinning, but it sure was nice to see such a variety of fine cattlemen and women along the trail. We’re already through back to school season. Now we’re headed into tailgating, and soon enough, we’ll be saying Merry Christmas! But there’s a lot that has to happen before we can put on our Santa hats. We won’t waste much time here because this week’s blog is slam full of info! Keep reading and enjoy…
Membership Update
The statewide membership number ‘o the day is 8,894 members…but we’re not done yet! Final remittance notices will be mailing out soon, so if you haven’t renewed, join us, and help your county president reach his or her goal and earn their signature ACA red coat. That deadline has been extended, but is coming soon— August 31, 2021. Congrats to Bullock, Coosa, Elmore, Jackson, Pickens, Pike and WInston counties, who have already exceeded their membership goals! SO CLOSE to the finish line are Autauga, Bibb, Blount, Cherokee, Clarke, Cleburne, Dale, Dekalb, Escambia, Etowah, Jefferson, Lawrence, Marshall and Montgomery counties— these chapters are just within 10 members of going Over the Top! Let’s knock out those goals, Cattlemen. You have until Tuesday to secure those red coats.
Senate Ag Committee Dinner
Last week, Erin Beasley joined the Senate Agriculture committee for a dinner at Lazenby Farms after tours on campus at Auburn University, which was sponsored in part by ACA. Committee Chairman, Senator Larry Stutts, wanted the committee to learn about agriculture research being conducted by researching and also tour the various units on campus. It was an excellent opportunity to showcase the beef cattle projects being done at Auburn related to research, teaching and extension.
Checkoff Funded Research Projects
Each year, the Alabama State Beef Checkoff Program budgets monies that are allocated to fund cattle production-based research. This summer, our office issued a call for proposals where researchers had the opportunity to present research and itemized budget proposals in hopes of being selected for funding. Following the submission period, the research committee selected the following programs for funding, representing a variety of topics pertaining to beef cattle production.
- Overseeding Bahiagrass pastures to extend the grazing season and improve sustainability in forage systems (Researchers: Josh Elmore, Dr. Kimberly Mullenix, Dr. Liliane Silva, and Dr. Leanne Dillard)
- Forage production and quality of stockpiled Bahiagrass pastures managed under contrasting strategies in Alabama (Researchers: Dr. Kimberly Mullenix, Dr. Liliane Silva, Dr. Leanne Dillard, Josh Elmore, Dr. Kelly Palmer, Ken Kelly, and Michael Agar)
- Evaluation of Weed Control Programs for Summer Annual Forage Crops (Researchers: Dr. David Russell and Gerry Thompson)
- Comprehensive Digestive Profiles of Bermudagrass Varieties (Researchers: W. Brandon Smith, Werner G. Bergen, S. Leanne Dillard, and M. Kimberly Mullenix)
- Assessment of Weaning and Backgrounding Management Practices Utilized by Alabama Cattle Producers (Researchers: Maggie Justice, Alex Tigue, Max Runge, and Ken Kelly)
Facelift on BamaBeef.org
Have you seen the new look on our website!? It has been five years since our website, www.BamaBeef.org, got a refresh, so it was time for a makeover. The new design puts our two most-visited pages front and center— the Events Calendar, Join Now and our Online Store. Go check it out and keep and eye on this excellent resource for Alabama’s cattle producers. It’s always getting new content to keep you the most updated!
Sale Season
Fall is right around the corner. With the arrival of fall comes cooler weather and best of all, SALE SEASON! Director of Field Services Morgan Desselle will be headed out to two sales this weekend. Friday, she’ll head to the 23rd Annual Herdbuilder Replacement Female Sale at 11 am in Uniontown. On Saturday, she will head to South Alabama Stockyards in Brundidge for the Southern Invitational at 1:00 pm. Visit our online cattle sale calendar to view upcoming sales in Alabama! www.bamabeef.org/cattlesales
October Beef Month- Full Steam Ahead!
October Beef Month preparations are in full swing! We have some great events coming up, so please keep up with the Bama Beef Online Events Calendar to get the latest on Beef Month activities. Also, please contact staffer Ali Cantrell if you need any materials for your county chapter to pass out at any local events you may be attending. County Leaders, please do not forget to send us pictures from your event to be featured in our magazine as well as social media. Below is the timeline of state-lead activities for October Beef Month 2021.
- September 24: Nominations open for Bama’s Best Beef
- October 9: Maxwell Fall Fest
- Junior Cattlemen will be hosting a booth at the festival to talk about beef cattle and pass out treats!
- October 12 – 15: Beef Week
- October 12: “Beef Up the Blood Supply” by giving blood at Conestoga Steak House in Dothan, AL and receive a $20 gift card to the steak house!
- October 13: Receive a $2 discount off a Brisket meal at BBQ Stop in Clay, AL
- October 14: Visit Gather in Atmore, AL and eat a delicious beef meal and receive a free dessert.
- October 15: Come get some Beef Swag when you buy a hamburger at Hamburger King in Montgomery, AL
- October 15: Alabama National Fair “Where’s the Beef?” Cook-off
- This will take place at 7 p.m. Please visit the Alabama National Fair website to enter.
- October 16: County Cattlemen’s Association Steak Sandwich Cook-off
- October 25: Winner for Bama’s Best Beef competition will be announced
- October 28: Beef Checkoff Task Force Meeting
- October 29: Beef 101 at Auburn Beef Unit
Mark your calendars and plan to join us for the events that are close to you!
First-Ever County Cattlemen’s Association Steak Sandwich Cook-Off
This is BIG news, because we know how proud every county is of its steak sandwiches and the secret recipes behind them! Now it’s time to bring them to the judging table! The ACA is very excited to host the first-ever County Cattlemen’s Association Steak Sandwich Cook-off on October 16 in Cullman. Only a team of 3 is needed from each county to enter and grill their best steak sandwich for a chance to win bragging rights to the best steak sandwich in Alabama as well as a $1,000 towards their county chapter. Please visit our website to find out more about this event and how to register at www.bamabeef.org/steaksandwichcookoff. Contact Ali Cantrell with any questions you may have at (334) 265-1867.
Beef on the SuperSpeedway
Just in time for October Beef Month, the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association and the Georgia Beef Board are partnering up to sponsor the Motor Racing Network for Talladega SuperSpeedway races in October! We will be kicking off Beef Month by broadcasting our Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner message on radio affiliates across Alabama and Georgia for the October 2-3 race weekend. If you happen to be at the race that weekend, keep your eyes on the video board for a :30 second clip that will make you want to start your engine to race to the nearest concession stand!
Junior Cattlemen Update: Fall Field Day Coming Soon!
Get back to the basics of farming and join us for education on fence fixing, record keeping, equipment maintenance, and Beef Quality Assurance training at our Fall Field Day! Join us at Covington County Arena on September 18th for a day full of fun and education! To learn more and register for the event visit www.bamabeef.org/fieldday
SLE Update
Director of Rodeo Programs Sarah Hunter has hit the ground running with her sites set on the 2022 SLE Rodeo. A few sponsors are already on the books, and the sponsorship committee will meet on Thursday of this week to continue driving that ship in the right direction! Members are invited to save the date for our Annual Meeting to be held on September 30, 2021 at the Wetumpka Civic Center. A membership meeting will be held prior where three new directors will be voted on! Speaking of directors, the SLE Board of Directors will meet on September 9 ahead of the Annual Meeting to start looking into decisions that need to be made for the 2022 event.
If you or your county hosts a local rodeo event, contact Sarah! She would love to come out and be a face from the state office as well as promote the SLE Rodeo and meet cattlemen from across Alabama.
Stay tuned as more exciting news regarding the 2022 show hits the press! We’ll be making some big announcements come September 1 on our Facebook.
Producer Visits
Staffer Morgan Desselle will be hitting the road next week as she plans to visit multiple producers across the state. Staffer Kayla Greer will also be in tow on the ride as she piggy-backs on Morgan’s visits to gain some always-needed farm photography! If you would like to be a tour stop for the Young Cattlemen’s Leadership Program in the future or host a Junior Cattlemen’s field day please reach out to Morgan at morgan@bamabeef.org
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