Welcome to the Bama Beef Blog, where you can check out the latest news from the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association, the Alabama Beef Checkoff Program and the Southeastern Livestock Expo. Keep reading for more info!
ACA CONVENTION & TRADE SHOW
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. ACA Convention & Trade Show registration will close next week! Walk-in registration is welcome, but meals will not be guaranteed. Grab your seat at the table by getting registered today. Keynote speakers include John Driscoll of the Mobile Port Authority and Kevin Good of CattleFax. As always, we’ll host a trade show with more than 75 vendors 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 and Register Now.
SLE RODEO, COMING TO TOWN!
The countdown is on for the 65th annual SLE Rodeo as we are only 30 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).
As an official NFR Playoff Series rodeo, will have the top professional ProRodeo 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.
If you need to book a room, check out the Homewood Suites for a 10% discount if you plan to attend the show! Just call 334-272-3010, ask for the SLE Rodeo rate and tell them Ray sent you!
Legislative Update
There is a lot going on in the legislative world as session days tick away. The legislature is expected to go three days a week until the end of February which will put them over halfway through the session by the end of the month. A package of broadband bills passed the Senate last week to promote high speed expansion. We are continuing to monitor bills that are dropped. To date there are over 350 house bills and over 230 senate bills introduced. Today, the Cattlemen’s building will host a large number of legislators for the “Sweet Grown Alabama” luncheon. The event will highlight the work that Sweet Grown Alabama does to connect local farmers to consumers. The ACA is a partner with Sweet Grown and looks forward to hosting this event. Tomorrow, a fundraiser will be held at the Cattlemen’s building for Congressman Mike Rogers. This is an annual event and a time for Congressman Rogers to share an update on D.C. issues with local associations and lobbyists.
Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner 300
Ali Cantrell will travel to Daytona SuperSpeedway this weekend to help our national Beef Checkoff team in efforts to promote the Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner 300 race. Last year, Florida Beef Council led the charge with NCBA to promote beef at the race, and the message reached 1.9 billion people both from tv, radio, online services and in person interactions in the stadium. This all happened with a reduced amount of people allowed in the stadium due to the COVID pandemic. We are excited to see the results after this race weekend! The BIWFD 300 is February 19 in Daytona, Florida. Race week has multiple events that will be highlighting beef with celebrities, a cook-off and live behind the scenes action!
2022 COVER CONTEST
Submission Deadline: February 20, 2022
We’re on the hunt for farm lifestyle photography featuring cattle for the March 2022 issue of the Alabama Cattleman magazine, and we need your help to capture it! Check out the entry rules at www.BamaBeef.org/Cover.
To enter, email up to five photos to ngodwin@bamabeef.org and kgreer@bamabeef.org. File attachments or links to online gallery downloads are acceptable. Links or tags on social media albums will not be accepted. Submissions should include photographer’s name, hometown, county and farm name in order to give proper credit to the photographer.
Entry Requirements:
- Submissions must not feature posed family portraits. Visible faces are not preferred.
- Submissions must be high resolution (300dpi minimum)
- Submissions must be portrait oriented.
- Submissions must leave ample space for the publication masthead.
- Submissions must feature Alabama cattle farm scenery or lifestyle
- Submissions must be seasonal to the publication date (early spring).
- Submissions must not be overly-edited and may not include a watermark.
- Submissions may not be used previously by another publication or company.
- Submissions must be captured by an Alabama resident & member of the ACA.
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. Also, PLEASE send county leader updates to the state office so we can update them for future mailings, emails, etc. Contact Jessica to let her know who your county officers are!
BEEF at FCCLA
Next week, the Alabama Beef Checkoff will sponsor the FCCLA culinary competition at Jefferson State Community College. It will next Wednesday, February 25, and the students will be challenged to cook a petite tenderloin. Beef will be provided by the Beef Checkoff and staffer Ali Cantrell will be a judge that day. We are very excited to sponsor an event that will challenge such talented students.
Young Cattlemen’s Leadership Program
Young Cattlemen’s Leadership Program (YCLP) Class VIII will graduate at the ACA Convention Awards Banquet. We are looking forward to seeing these 23 young leaders grow in our organization and as industry advocates. With one class graduating, that calls for another class incoming. Applications for YCLP Class IX are now open! This program is for young cattlemen who are looking to build on their leadership skills, network with producers from across the state, and gain deeper industry knowledge. If you want to learn more about this program or apply please visit www.bamabeef.org/yclpclass9. These applications will close March 15, 2022 and will be passed on to the YCLP Council for the selection process to take place.
YCLP Council will meet tomorrow to discuss YCLP Reunion dates and location, select YCLP Council 2022-2024, and prepare for YCLP Alumni meeting at Convention. If you are an alumni of YCLP please join us at ACA Convention on Saturday, March 5 at 3:00pm for an alumni meeting. At this meeting you will be introduced to the new YCLP council, graduating class, and hear about upcoming alumni opportunities. New to convention this year, we are inviting all YCLP alumni to join the graduating class at an alumni reception. Saturday March 5 at 8:30 grab your plus one and join us for drinks, music, and networking to celebrate Young Cattlemen’s Leadership Program Class 8 sponsored by Alabama Farm Credit!
Junior Cattlemen Update
The Alabama Junior Cattlemen’s Association (AJCA) will be hosting youth career-centered contests at the ACA Convention and Trade Show! Join the AJCA Board of Directors, Saturday March 5 in Mobile for public speaking, career development, and quiz bowl competitions. All contests will be sponsored by Beef Checkoff and are FREE for all youth to enter. Each contest holds great scholarships opportunities! Here’s some more dates to mark on your calendar:
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)
DOWN TO EARTH: AGRICULTURE SUSTAINS ALABAMA
Sustainability is a buzzword that has captured the attention of producers and consumers alike, and agricultural communicators from across the state are taking on the buzz. In March 2021, communications staff from commodity representatives and trade organizations across the agricultural sector began meeting to discuss how to tackle this topic. The result of almost a year of conversations— Down to Earth: Agriculture Sustains Alabama.
This yearlong public education campaign is a collaborative communications effort designed to be a voice for agricultural stakeholders in Alabama to promote the sustainable, conservation-minded practices farmers and ranchers are already doing. The goal is to reach 1 million Alabama consumers to influence their beliefs by promoting the work of farmers and ranchers across the state— to tell YOUR story. We know your goal is to create as much output with as little input, all while protecting the environment for future generations, and it is now time we, as communicators, do a better job of telling that story. To do that, the group has broken down the sustainability topic into six main points: Carbon Emissions, Animal & Plant Efficiency, Data & Technology, Conserving Natural Resources, Smart Land Use and Sustaining for the Future. We will be extending this campaign via digital advertising, broadcast news, print media, and a video campaign. The 2021 Farm-City theme also reflected this concept, which served as an excellent soft launch and way to introduce this tricky topic in an interactive way to school children across the state.
Working group members include the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association, the Alabama Farmers Federation, Alabama Poultry & Egg Association, Alabama Agribusiness Council, Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, Sweet Grown Alabama, the Alabama Commission, Simply Southern and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. ACA’s Kayla Greer is a co-chair to this statewide, collaborative effort alongside Caleb Hicks of AP&EA.
The campaign officially launches on March 31, 2022 with an event called “Down to Earth Day” in Pike Road, AL. It will include an educational field trip portion, public education event, and a media conference with elected officials as our special guests. This is YOUR campaign, so if you want to be part of it as a spokesperson, event volunteer, or just learn more about how to help spread the message, contact Kayla Greer at (334) 265-1867 or email her.Otherwise, please help us spread the Down to Earth message on social media beginning March 31, 2022 on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
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