Happy New Year! It has been a few months since we updated our blog. We apologize for that, but the rush at the end of the year made for a wild ride here at ACA. Never fear, we’re back and loaded down with a set of news from our staff to get us moving forward into 2022. Saddle up, we’ve got a lot to unpack!
ACA Convention & trade Show
ACA Convention & Trade Show registration is now live! Join us in Mobile, AL at the Mobile Convention Center on March 4-5 for the largest cattle industry trade show and educational event in Alabama. Keynote speakers include John Driscoll of the Mobile Port Authority and Kevin Goode of CattleFax. As always, we’ll host a trade show full of equipment, feed, animal health, retail and breed representatives. The event will also feature Cattlemen’s Colleges, Youth Contests, our annual BEEF PAC Auction, and incredible meals. Learn more about our Schedule of Events, Book Your Hotel Room, or Register Now.
If you are interested in having a booth at our trade show in Mobile, please contact staffer, Ali Cantrell. The early bird pricing will end on February 1, 2022! You can also register online, or you can visit our Convention Website.
SLE RODEO, COMING TO TOWN!
The countdown is on for the 65th annual SLE Rodeo as we are only 65 days away from the greatest show on dirt! The Southeastern Livestock Exposition (SLE) is proud to be nationally-televised on The Cowboy Channel thanks to being named a 2022 NFR Play-Off Series Rodeo by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA).
Our show will have the top professional rodeo cowboys and cowgirls competing against the best livestock in the business during four performances from March 18-20, 2022. We will also have live performances from World Champion Western Entertainer and Trick Roper Rider Kiesner, a PowWow performance by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, B-K Ranch Fighting Bulls, and more! Buy your tickets now by visiting Tickets & Deals (slerodeo.com) so you don’t miss out on any of the action!
We’re proud to announce new changes coming in 2022 as we shift from a Thursday-Saturday event to a Friday-Sunday show. The show order is as follows: Friday, March 18 (7PM); Saturday, March 19 (1PM); Saturday, March 19 (7PM); and Sunday, March 20 (2PM). Also new in 2022 is the addition of WPRA Breakaway Roping, live at each event! Learn more about all the family fun on our Events Calendar and stay tuned to social media for event announcements, ticket giveaways and all the news the SLE Rodeo has to bring!
Our rodeo committee is also looking for volunteers for the weekend of the rodeo. If you are available to offer your time, please complete the form on this website: Volunteer at the Rodeo (slerodeo.com). We are looking forward to three action-packed days of good, clean family fun, and we hope to see you there. Let’s rodeo!
MEMBERSHIP UPDATE
The 2022 membership year has officially kicked off, and we are headed boldly in the direction of 10,000 members! As we approach late winter/early spring, many counties will host annual meetings. Please, contact Jessica Kennedy at our office to let her know about county meeting dates and leadership changes OR complete this online form to notify us of your meeting, assign a mailout, and request a guest speaker. As always, leaders, we encourage you to enter new members and renewals by the 15th of each month to guarantee they stay on the magazine distribution list and to deposit checks in a timely manner.
alabama legislature: back in session
The legislative session began yesterday as both chambers gaveled in. The big talk of the session is how the state will use the remaining amounts of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money that the state has received. Another big topic is the strong financial position of the budgets of this session. The ACA will be watching carefully through the session and working on legislation that will positively and negatively impact our industry. During the session, the Ag Coalition meets at the Cattlemen’s building on Tuesday mornings to discuss bills and get ready for the legislative week. Other meetings will take place such as caucus meetings and receptions during the session so the building is a huge asset to provide legislators.
UPCOMING EVENT: Alabama Jr. & SR. HIGH SCHOLL BEEF COOK-OFF
The Annual Alabama Jr. & Sr. High School Beef Cook-Off will be on April 9 at Jefferson State Community College. If your county has hosted a local beef cook-off, be sure to get your winners registered on our website at https://www.bamabeef.org/cookoff by March 21! This event will be held at Health Sciences and Culinary Institute building at Jefferson State, and registration is FREE! Please contact Ali Cantrell on our staff if you have any questions.
LOOKING BACK: GREER TALKS SOCIAL MEDIA
To kick off 2022, ACA Director of Communications Kayla Greer had the honor to be a guest speaker at the Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference in Savannah, GA. More keen on livestock and certainly a “brown thumb,” Kayla didn’t have much to offer in terms of raising fruit and vegetables, but her expertise on social media tools and practices were invaluable to the audience. Kayla joined the conference— which hosted 3,000 farmers from across the Southeast— to speak at a special Social Media Boot Camp session last Thursday. This intimate and interactive deep dive into social media was limited to only 60 guests, but the crew spent the entire day exploring the many tools and features associated with Facebook Business Pages. Kayla specifically spoke on the Facebook Business Suite, Creator Studio and broke down Insights and Analytics that the small businesses could use to leverage audience engagement on their platforms.
A great trip to beautiful Savannah and great way to bring new light to the tasks she does daily, Kayla has already got her wheels spinning for a similar program for cattle producers who utilize social media to market cattle and/or local beef products. Stay tuned!
Junior Cattlemen Update
This past weekend, the AJCA Board Directors gathered in Montgomery for their Winter Planning Meeting. The Board looked into 2022 to plan upcoming events and explored overall goals for the year. A few dates to keep in mind:
Saturday, March 5: Youth Contests at the ACA Convention (Register Now)
Thursday, April 14: Spring Youth Production Field Day (Vista Farms- Fayette)
July 14-17, 2022: AJCA Round-Up ( Montgomery, AL)
Saturday, September 17: Fall Youth Production Field Day (Location TBD)
FROM THE COUNTRYSIDE
ACA Director of Field Services Morgan Desselle has been out and about this week. She visited Cullman Stockyards’ weekly sale on Tuesday. While in the neighborhood, she also had a farm visit with Cullman County President Cody Rasco. Today she is stopping by Valley Stockyards in Moulton and catching their weekly sale. Say hi I you see her!
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