Who can believe it? Not only are we more than halfway through the year already, but we’re somehow already preparing to welcome fall. Next Wednesday is the first official day of Autumn— although it may not quite feel like it— which means one of the most wonderful times of year! Cooler temps, baby calves, fall colors, football, chili and homemade pot roasts…all the wonderful, cozy things of fall. Fall also means events, sales, and Beef Month, making our office calendar quite full. Keep reading to find out what’s happening around our office as we prepare for the final quarter of 2021!
Fall Youth Production Field Day
Come join us THIS Saturday for the Back to the Basics Fall Youth Field Day in Andalusia. This event is open to all youth, sponsored by the state checkoff! Educational sessions will consist of equipment maintenance, fence fixing, record keeping, and youth will become Beef Quality Assurance Certified. Lunch will be provided to all who attend with a cutting horse demonstration for entertainment!
Two Cook-Offs, Coming Right Up!
We are ONE MONTH away from the first County Cattlemen’s Association Steak Sandwich Cook-off on October 16. 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.
The “Where’s the Beef?” Cook-off at the Alabama National Fair is also on the horizon! The deadline to register for this contest is October 6 and the competition will be held at 7:00pm on October 15 at the Creative Living Center. You can register for this event at www.alnationalfair.org
Membership Update
The statewide membership number ‘o the day is 9,132 members…but we’re not done yet! Final remittance notices will be mailing out soon, so if you haven’t renewed, now’s the time! We are SO CLOSE to our 10,000 member goal, so help us get there with your membership. Don’t forget- we offer fun prizes for our recruiters, also! If you have any membership questions, feel free to contact Jessica Kennedy in our office.
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!
Beef Month Feature: Burger Week in Mobtown
We’re kicking off Beef Month in style with a good ole-fashioned Burger Week! Your Beef Checkoff is going to be the Premier Sponsor of Mobtown Burger Week (October 2 – 9, 2021) in Mobile, AL . Tour the best burgers that Mobile has to offer as each participating restaurant vies for your vote by creating a delicious, unique, specialty burger only found during Mobtown Burger Week! A People’s Choice Award will be given to the winning restaurant and a portion of the sale of each burger will be donated to Restore Mobile. Restore Mobile is a non-profit dedicated to protecting and promoting Mobile’s architectural and cultural character through renovation, advocacy, and empowerment.
SLE Update
The SLE is excited to be on the search for sponsors for the 2022 rodeo. Thank you to those who have already signed up! If this is something your company may be interested in, please visit the SLE website. This displays every sponsorship package available to you. Don’t hesitate to contact the Director of Rodeo Programs Sarah Hunter if you have any questions.!
In other news, the SLE Board of Directors gathered on September 9th to discuss several topics regarding the upcoming rodeo. Big ideas are in the works, and this will be an event you do not want to miss! We are also excited to host our SLE Annual Membership Meeting at the end of this month. It will be great to see returning members, but we also have several new faces that we are excited to welcome into our group!
As always, if your county cattlemen’s group is hosting a rodeo, please reach out and let Sarah know what she can do to help!
Preparing BEEF for BEEF MONTH
This week, Ali Cantrell will be meeting with Renfroe’s Grocery in Montgomery to discuss filming cooking segments for WSFA during October Beef Month. Renfroe’s has graciously offered their facilities and are providing the ingredients for two cooking segments that will highlight BEEF! We are proud to have a close relationship with this grocery chain and that they are so willing to help us accomplish these types of promotions.
Candidate Fundraisers Firing Up for Election Season
Alabama welcomed Congressman GT Thompson, ranking republican member of the House Agriculture committee. ACA participated in a lunch at ALFA where agricultural issues were discussed with Congressman Thompson and Congressman Barry Moore. ACA Executive Vice President Erin Beasley thanked the congressman for his work and reiterated the need for solutions to come for cattle market competition and increases in meat processing.
If you’re in the area please visit www.mobtownburgerweek.com for more details and for announcements of participating restaurants. You can also follow the Facebook event by searching Mobtown Burger Week.
Sale Season
Fall is right around the corner. With the arrival of fall comes cooler weather and best of all, SALE SEASON! Be sure to keep an eye out on our online calendar to get the latest on upcoming sales in Alabama! www.bamabeef.org/cattlesales
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!
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)
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