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!
BEEF 201 Opportunity for Producers
This spring, there is one more opportunity to attend a Beef 101 on April 27. If you are a cattle producer interested in doing a more advanced version of BEEF 101, our Beef 201 program will take place on May 6. Please contact Ali Cantrell at acantrell@bamabeef.org if you would like to attend either of these programs.
Junior Cattlemen Spring Field Day Report
The Alabama Junior Cattlemen’s Association Board of Directors welcomed 50+ youth from all across Alabama to the 2022 Spring Field Day! The youth enjoyed a day full of education and fun. The day kicked off with four beef cattle classes to judge. The participants heard from Jonah Biensch and Jason P’Pool of Auburn University on the best ways to evaluate cattle, provided by Triple T Brangus. The youth then listened to a professional development clinic on public speaking provided by Ellie Watson with Sweet Grown Alabama. Regional Extension Agent Paul Vining hosted a hands-on forage demonstration. The day was wrapped up with Director of Education and Outreach Ali Cantrell speaking on beef nutrition. Special thanks to all the volunteers and Fayette County Cattlemen’s Association for hosting us!
Stay tuned for more junior events to come by registering for the AJCA quarterly e-newsletter here!
Save 2022 Junior Cattlemen Dates
May 16 – Round-Up Registration Opens
July 1 – Round-Up Registration Closes
July 14-17 AJCA Round-Up
September 17 AJCA Fall Field Day
SLE Rodeo Recap
Board members and committee chairs of the SLE Rodeo are gathering at the office today to get a final report from the 2022 SLE Rodeo & Exposition. They’ll also be bringing feedback and insights from their respective committees to garner ways to improve for 2023— we are always trying to grow and adapt, and it certainly takes a team to do it! The board will also be reviewing feature acts, clowns and other entertainment details so Rodeo Director Sarah Hunter can get to work on the 2023 show. Stay tuned and save the dates for March 17-19, 2023!
Out and About!
This week, ACA Director of Education & Outreach Ali Cantrell will be on the road to attend the Sumter County Cattlemen’s Meeting on Thursday and then will be driving to Phenix City on Friday to speak to Benjamin Russell High School about the beef industry. She will be speaking to the environmental science class about Beef 101 as well as how the beef industry continues to be sustainable for the environment. Ali will also be filming cooking segments with Jack Galassini and Virginia Whitfield next week for the Montgomery area. These segments will air on Memorial Day weekend, Father’s Day, and Fourth of July weekend on WSFA.
Director of Field Services Morgan Desselle has been out and about meeting with producers this month. She visited Triple T Brangus in Fayette at the beginning of the month. Yesterday, she took a farm tour of Leto Farms with Mr. Franks Johnston and manger Logan Whatley. She wrapped up her Tuesday morning by stopping in at Mid-State’s weekly sale. She will be headed north this weekend to the Crimson Classic sale in Cullman to see some of our north Alabama producers!
MEMBERSHIP UPDATE
Board members— please remember to RSVP for the May Board Meeting on May 5, 2022. Call or email Jessica at the office at (334) 265-1867.
The second membership statement is in the works and should hit mailboxes by the end of next week. This mail out will target all non-renewed members for 2022!
The 2022 membership year has officially kicked off, and we are headed boldly in the direction of 10,000 members! Many counties are hosting 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!
2nd Annual YCLP Alumni Reunion
Young Cattlemen’s Leadership Program (YCLP) will be hosting the second YCLP Alumni Reunion May 20-21 at Kick Back Ranch & Event Center. The weekend will be full of education, catching up with your classmates, and meeting new alumni! We look forward to seeing YCLP Alumni and their families this summer. To register and see the weekends schedule please visit the link below!
Registration: www.BamaBeef.org/Reunion
If you wish to sponsor this event we have a few sponsorship opportunities left visit the link below or contact Morgan morgan@bamabeef.org.
Sponsor Link: https://www.bamabeef.org/f/137
YCLP CLASS IX ANNOUNCED
The Young Cattlemen’s Leadership Class IX will join us in Montgomery for session one in just two short weeks! We look forward to meeting the class. Members of the ninth YCLP class are:
Travis Allred, Morgan County
Daniel Burkhalter, Henry County
Logan Cofield, Randolph County
Tyler Dunn, Henry County
Jamie Dykes, Barbour County
Sheena Gay, Randolph County
Jacob Gay, Randolph County
Austin Grant, Macon County
Serah Hall, Houston County
Kelsey Hopper, Baldwin County
Jared Lawley, Shelby County
Ashley Long, Fayette County
Kevin Lusk, Jackson County
Tanner Maddox, Franklin County
Shelby Marsh, Hale County
Laura Jean McCurdy, Lowndes County
Jeremy Pearson, Cherokee County
Jessica Rush, Lee County
Noah Sanders, Coffee County
Taylor Scott, Lauderdale County
Levi Smith, Henry County
Jason Smith, Dallas County
Christian Stanley, Pike County
Clay Tucker, Monroe County
Cooper Waller, Montgomery County
Matthew Watson, Mobile County
Daniel Wendland, Autauga County
Shelby Windham, Dale County
Macklin Watson, Monroe County
Batter Up, with Beef!
BASEBALL SEASON IS HERE! If you plan, to go to a baseball game this summer in Alabama, keep an eye out for BEEF. This season, the Alabama Beef Checkoff is sponsoring the Birmingham Barons and the Huntsville Trash Pandas. Every home game you will see a beef promotion ad on the jumbotron that will say funded by Alabama Beef Farmers and Ranchers. If you attend the Birmingham Barons game, keep your eyes glued to the jumbotron during the fourth inning to see our promotion that will be followed by the “Cowboy Cam.” And if you attend a Trash Pandas game, plan to go a little early to see our “Welcome Back to Summer” Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner video on the jumbotron for pre-game entertainment.
Staffer, Ali Cantrell, will be at the Huntsville Trash Pandas game on April 29 with local cattlemen— Randy Moody, Don Lyles, and Katie Sowell— to provide BEEF giveaways to attendees that night. Then on August 5, she will host another giveaway night at the Birmingham Barons game.
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