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!
CATTLEMEN’S FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS NOW OPEN FOR APPLICATION
Alabama Cattlemen’s Foundation Scholarships are LIVE for application, brought to you by the Cowboy vanity car tag! These scholarships are for high school seniors and collegiate students who are members, or whose parents or grandparents, for at least two consecutive years. In addition to the many scholarships we’ve traditionally offered, we are thrilled to announce SIX new scholarship opportunities for students pursuing higher education. They are:
“Tagged for Academic Excellence” Scholarship
“Tagged for Civic Engagement” Scholarship
“Tagged for Campus Involvement” Scholarship
“Tagged for Industry Involvement” Scholarship
Agricultural Law Scholarship
Rural Medicine Scholarship
Explore these many opportunities and APPLY today at www.BamaBeef.org/Scholarships
BEEF 101 in Washington County
ACA Director of Education and Outreach Ali Cantrell spoke to Washington County High School about Beef 101 and the beef cookoff today. Washington County has won the Alabama Jr. & Sr. High School Beef Cookoff multiple times with their past teacher, Janis Price. They now have a new teacher named Mrs. Behlen that wants to continue the tradition of teaching her students about the beef industry as well as participate in the beef cookoff.
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 9,606 members across the state. If you need county annual meeting or October Beef Month supplies, contact our office at 334-265-1867.
County leaders: in order for your meeting to make it into the ACA magazine you will need to get your meeting info to Jessica Kennedy by the 15th of the month prior. You can email Jessica with your meeting details or submit them online by clicking here.
Fall Youth Field Day Success
One week ago today we held our Fall Junior Field Day at CK Cattle in Hope Hull. We had a great turnout of around 60 youth who got BQA certified, learned about bull selection and development, herd health, calving, and much more. A special thanks to CK Cattle for hosting and sponsoring our meal and to our many speakers who spent the day with us!
BEEF at Ag Roundup
ACA staffer Ali Cantrell will host a tailgate at Ag Roundup this Saturday prior to the Auburn V. Missouri Homecoming game. She and the Collegiate Cattlemen’s Association will be serving brisket samples and giving out beef swag. Come by and see them if you’re gonna be on the Plains!
YCLP Council Heads to America’s Heartland
This week the YCLP Council will be on our industry trip to Nebraska. We have a great trip lined out full of educational and fun tours that will expose our council members to different parts of the beef industry that are not as common in the Southeast. Council members will have the opportunity to see the University of Nebraska-Lincoln cattle research farm, Nebraska Cattlemen’s Association, Neogen Corporate office, US Meat Animal Research Center, Mead Cattle Company, Chief Ethanol Plant and Drinnin Cattle Company.
This will be an outstanding experience for council members David Daniel, Katie Sowell, Will Bullen, Logan Whatley, Will Gotcher and Ryan Kennedy. Wish us safe travels!
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
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!
SLE NEWS
The Southeastern Livestock Exposition is steadily preparing for the 2023 PRCA rodeo in Montgomery! 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 annual SLE Membership Meeting will take place on September 29 where exciting announcements will be made about the 2023 SLE Rodeo and new officers and board members will be elected to serve!
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!
New Merch Drop
We are officially less than 100 days from Christmas, and the Bama Beef Online Store is celebrating with new products and restocks! NEW western jewelry and MYRA BAGS, now available…and did we mention Charcoal, Navy, Brown and Heather Gray ACA Richardson 112 caps are restocked?! Shop online now and get ahead of the holiday hustle and bustle at www.BamaBeef.org/Store.
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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