Bama Beef Blog Weekly Update | August 24, 2022

August 24, 2022— 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!

FALL YOUTH FIELD DAY

We are just a few weeks away from our Fall Youth Field Day— happening September 14, 2022 at CK Cattle in Hope Hull, AL. Youth will gather from 9 a.m.- 2:00 p.m. and will discuss bull selection, bull development, understanding EPD’s, cool season forages and more. Registration is now open at www.BamaBeef.org/FieldDay, so round up your youth and head to Hope Hull!

MEMBERSHIP UPDATE

Final notices are officially hitting mailboxes— encourage members to renew and help us get to 10,000 members. We are so close to that goal! As of today, the ACA is proud to represent 9,410 members across the state. If you need county annual meeting or October Beef Month supplies, contact our office at 334-265-1867.

Montgomery Stockyard Hosts Last Weekly Sale

On Monday, August 22, Montgomery Stockyards hosted its last regular weekly sale. ACA staffers Erin Beasley, Reid McGuire and Kayla Greer enjoyed stopping by the market that’s been operating since 1958. “We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of our customers who have trusted us to market their cattle in our weekly sales,” market owner Jerry Etheredge said. “We would also like to say thank you to our buyers who helped make MSY a competitive market. We have been very fortunate to have some of the very best sit around the ring here over the years.”

While the Stockyard Cafe will remain open, Montgomery Stockyards will only operate board sales by video, through DVAuction, moving forward. Thank you, MSY, for more than 65 years of dedicated service to Alabama’s beef cattle industry.

SLE News

The Southeastern Livestock Exposition is steadily preparing for the 2023 PRCA rodeo in Montgomery! This week, the Sponsorship Committee met to discuss a strategy for fundraising. If you or your business would like to support the mission of the SLE through sponsorship, please reach out to Sarah Hunter by emailing shunter@bamabeef.org. She can send you information regarding the different sponsorship levels available for the upcoming rodeo. 

The SLE Board of Directors will gather in September two weeks prior to the Annual SLE Membership Meeting where exciting announcements will be made about the 2023 SLE Rodeo. 

SLE membership invoices are hitting mailboxes now. If you are interested in joining the SLE and becoming part of this outstanding legacy, you can request an application from Sarah Hunter at the ACA office. We are proud to join together with Alabama’s cowboys and cattlemen to raise money to support youth in agriculture! Save the dates for next year’s rodeo— March 17-19, 2023!  

BEEF 101 on Friday

This Friday, the Alabama Beef Checkoff Program will host a Beef 101 for 35 Ben E. Keith sales representatives at Auburn University. These sales reps will get a better picture of what branded beef programs are about and a detailed description of the pasture to plate story. Chambers County Cattleman Jim Collins will be coming to speak to them that morning about his operation before they move on to the meat lab to meet with AU Meat Lab Manager Barney Wilborn and Regional Extension Agent Dr. Alex Tigue.

October Beef Month Rundown

Beef Month is a time-honored tradition here in Alabama, and as a grassroots organization, we love to see Cattlemen’s Associations get creative in their celebrations. This October Beef Month, we have a friendly competition in store for our County Chapters. The ACA wants to see which of our counties in Alabama can celebrate Beef Month the best, so get your planning mode activated and your volunteers in place for our search for the best County Cattlemen’s Association of Beef Month!

Every event that your chapter participates in within the local community will count as points towards the competition. The county with the most points by November 1, 2022 will be declared the Cattlemen of Beef Month.

Here’s dates to keep in mind for the month-long celebration:

  • September 26 – October 31: Bama’s Best Beef Competition
  • October 2: BEEF at Talladega Superspeedway
  • October 1 – 8: Mobtown Burger Week
  • October 2 – 7: Beef Week in Alabama
    •  October 3: $5 off the “Holy Cow Burger” at Bill E’s in Fairhope, AL
    • October 4: Promote MobTown Burger Week
    • October 5: Free Appetizer with the purchase of the Brisket Plate at Bow & Arrow in Auburn
    • October 6: $2 off the “Zach’s Tot Roast” at West End Grill in Huntsville
    • October 7: Get a free dessert at every Big Mike’s location with the purchase of a Ribeye
  • October 8: 2nd County Steak Sandwich Cookoff at Helena Hollow in Shelby County
  • October 12 – 18: Beef in the Retail Case Week
  • October 15: “Where’s The Beef? Cook-Off” at the Alabama National Fair

SCHOLARSHIPS TO ATTEND NCBA CONVENTION 

The 2023 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show is headed to the Big Easy, and funding is available to offset some costs for producers. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is offering a variety of scholarships and grants to help producers attend CattleCon23, which will be held Feb. 1-3, 2023, in New Orleans. 

Scholarship recipients receive a complimentary Education Package registration and discounted housing accommodations for three nights, Feb. 1-3, 2023. Scholarships will be awarded to up to five beef cattle industry members, up to three young beef producers, and up to three students (currently enrolled in classes) in the industry. Applications for all scholarship categories are due by Sept. 23, 2022, and will be evaluated based on eligibility and answers to application questions.

In addition to the scholarship program, NCBA also offers the Rancher Resilience Grant, which is designed to support cattle producer attendance at impactful education events, such as Cattlemen’s College held prior to convention. Administered by NCBA, the grant is made possible by a partnership between the National Cattlemen’s Foundation and Cargill Protein. To apply for a grant to cover registration costs and two nights hotel, visit  www.ncba.org/producers/rancher-resilience-grant. Cattlemen’s College will be an event option once convention registration opens in October. 

BIG UPDATES ON BAMA BEEF EVENTS CALENDAR

The Bama Beef Events Calendar (www.BamaBeef.org/Events) is beginning to fill up with activities as we look toward the fall months. The Producer Education tab has been updated recently with Beef Systems Short Courses and Alabama Grazing Academy information, as well as the Cattlemen’s Activities. As we get closer to fall, all of the tabs (especially the sales!) will start to fill up, so check it daily to make sure you don’t miss an event near you!

APPLY FOR NCBA CONVENTION INTERNSHIP

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is offering collegestudents a unique behind-the-scenes experience through its annual convention internship program. The 2023 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show, the largest annual meeting of the U.S. beef cattle industry, will take place Feb. 1-3, 2023, in New Orleans. 

Up to 18 interns will be selected and will be responsible for setting up the demonstration arena, assisting at committee meetings and Cattlemen’s College, participating in the NCBA booth, and posting on social media. NCBA will strive to provide students time to maximize industry networking.

Student interns must be able to work Jan. 29 – Feb. 4, 2023, provide their own transportation to New Orleans, and be at least a junior-level college student at an accredited university at the time of the event. Applicants must have a minimum 3.0 GPA, preferably have a background in, or working knowledge of, the cattle and/or beef industry, and have experience with social media.

Interested students must complete an online Student Internship Application and submit college transcripts, two letters of recommendation and a resume. The application deadline is Oct. 21, 2022. For more information, contact Grace Webb at gwebb@beef.org

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