Bama Beef News Update | May 2023

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Membership Update

The ACA is proud to represent 8,929 members thus far in 2023, which means we are only 1,077 members from the state going Over the Top this year! Don’t forget— the Over the Top deadline to earn your county president an iconic ACA red coat is June 30, 2023.  Counties who have gone Over the Top in 2023 to date are: Conecuh, Elmore, Geneva, Jefferson, Lowndes, Marengo, Russell, St Clair, and Wilcox counties. 

Did we mention our recruitment prizes? If you join as a new member of the ACA, your name automatically goes into a drawing for a John Deere Gator, sponsored by John Deere, SunSouth and TriGreen Equipment. But wait! That’s not all. If you are responsible for recruiting a new member, your name also qualifies for the drawing and begins your journey toward joining our Top Hand Club— which awards exclusive prizes to recruiters (left). The prize for Top Recruiter is 10 Priefert panels! Your membership matters to your county chapter. Each year, one lucky chapter who goes “Over the Top” from the previous membership year qualifies for a drawing to win a Priefert squeeze chute, sponsored by Fuller Supply Co. and Priefert Ranch Equipment. The county chapter with the largest percentage membership growth year over year is awarded a Priefert head gate.  Help your local chapter roll home with a tool all members can benefit from!

Legislative Update

The Cattlemen’s Building was buzzing early on May 3 as biscuits, pancakes, omelets, and beef were being prepared and served at the annual legislative breakfast. Hosted by ACA and Alabama Poultry and Egg Association, this breakfast is a highlight of the session for legislators. Senators Gerald Allen, Chris Elliott, Jack Williams and David Sessions cooked and welcomed a large crowd of colleagues prior to a busy committee day on the hill. The following week, on Wednesday, May 10, constitutional officers, senators, and representatives enjoyed a night at the Cattlemen’s Building for our 2023 “Steaks and Spirits” Legislative Reception. Attendees from the BEEF PAC Club mingled with legislators and had discussions about the current legislative session. 

As the session moves swiftly toward Sine Die, here are a few updates regarding legislation that directly, or indirectly, impact Alabama’s beef industry and cattle producers. 

• Governor Kay Ivey has signed both budgets and supplemental packages totaling a record-breaking $15+ billion. 
• The House passed SB261 known as the “ESG bill” which now heads to the Governor’s desk. This bill prohibits state contracts with businesses that boycott certain sectors of the economy based on environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies. This bill and others that fight against ESG principles are vitally important to agriculture. 
• HB 379 would inhibit certain governments or governmental entities from acquiring certain real property in the state, including agricultural and forestry land and property within 10 miles of any military installation or critical infrastructure facility. Foreign countries of concern include China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia.
• HB432 by Rep. Van Smith is awaiting the Governor’s signature. This legislation would reduce the minimum time an Alabama driver’s license could be issued to H2A (migrant) workers, from 160 days to 30 days. 
• HB479 by Rep. Danny Garrett— dubbed the Grocery Tax bill—is in the hands of the Governor. This bill would reduce the state sales tax on food from 4% to 3% beginning September 1, 2023, then 3% to 2% on September 1, 2024, with a provision that the Education Trust Fund (ETF) must see growth of 3.5% or more. 
• The Overtime Bill, HB217 by Rep. Anthony Daniels, will eliminate state income taxes on overtime pay for hours worked in excess of 40. Designed to incentivize labor, this bill has seen incredible bipartisan support and been hailed by industry for its creativity and insightfulness. A Senate amendment to the bill provided a sunset of 3 years (2024-2026) and ensures that no more than $25 million, annually, in aggregate income taxes otherwise due from all taxpayers is exempt from income taxes for hours worked in excess of 40hrs/week. 

Alabama Cattlemen’s Foundation Awards Record Number of Scholarships

On Friday, May 5, the Alabama Cattlemen’s Foundation awarded $113,000 to 127 deserving students from across Alabama. More than 115 scholarships were awarded by funds generated through the sale of the Cowboy vanity car tag, including SIX new scholarships— the Tagged for Academic Excellence Scholarship, Tagged for Civic Engagement Scholarship, Tagged for Industry Involvement Scholarship, Tagged for Campus Involvement Scholarship, Rural Medicine Scholarship, and the Agricultural Law Scholarship. Nearly 10 scholarships were awarded thanks to generous endowment families. We wish these students the best in their future endeavors and appreciate the involvement of their parents or grandparents in our association, which is a requirement for qualification for an ACF scholarship award! 

May Board of Directors Meeting

On May 11, the ACA Board of Directors put boots on the Hill as a visit to the Alabama State House was the key component of the May 2023 Board Meeting. Our leaders had the opportunity to hear from Senate Majority Leader Senator Clay Scofield, House Ag Chairman Rep. Danny Crawford, Senator Randy Price and Senator Jack Williams, who updated them about the 2023 session and answered their questions about current legislation. Following the Hill visit, we wrapped up the May meeting with lunch and business back at the Cattlemen’s headquarters. As always, thank you to our many volunteer leaders who joined us for a busy and productive day in Montgomery. We’ll see you again in August! 

YCLP Class X Kicks Off

Young Cattlemen’s Leadership Program (YCLP) Class X kicked the year off in May in conjunction with the Spring Board of Directors Meeting. The crew of young leaders spent time in the Alabama State House to learn about the legislative process. Following, they visited with ACA state officers and then took a short trip south to Carter Cattle Company in Pintlala. The next day, they traveled to Auburn to receive Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) training from Dr. Soren Rodning and see a full carcass fabrication at the Auburn Meat Lab, given by Barney Wilborn. To learn more about this year’s class, visit www.BamaBeef.org/YCLP

Register for the Round-Up

The Alabama Junior Cattlemen’s Association is hosting its 17th Annual Round-Up, July 20-23, 2023 in Montgomery! This Alabama Beef Checkoff-funded event features 15 youth cattle shows and contests— including a heifer show, steer show, bull show, showmanship, cattle judging, cattle judging, skill-a-thon, salesmanship, photography, poster, golden pitchfork, record book, ad design, battle of the beef, team grooming and volleyball. Learn more about the event and register your junior cattleman at https://cvent.me/d8K9dD. Registration closes July 1, 2023! 

Welcome, Faith!

In mid-May, we welcomed Faith Lane to our team for the summer as she stepped into her role as Association Intern. A native of Lowndes County where her family manages a multi-generation stocker operation, Faith is pursuing a degree in ag business and economics at the College of Agriculture at Auburn University. Throughout the summer, Faith will explore the work of our trade association— from legislative affairs to membership recruitment and beef promotion to youth development. We look forward to having her with us throughout May, June and July! 

Big Win for Rural America

On May 25, the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) ruled unanimously in favor of the Sackett family in Sackett v. EPA – the court’s most recent consideration of which features are subject to federal Clean Water Act jurisdiction. In its holding, the court soundly rejected the contentious “significant nexus” test. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) strongly supports this ruling and is currently engaged in a litigation against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding the Biden Administration’s WOTUS definition. NCBA has been heavily involved in litigation surrounding the WOTUS rule since 2015. NCBA filed suit against the Obama-era WOTUS definition, defended the Trump-era definition that brought more clarity to what water features are included under WOTUS, and filed suit against the Biden administration’s WOTUS rule that did not include critical agricultural exemptions.

SCOTUS’s decision is a win for rural America, including Alabama’s farmers and ranchers.

SLE Update

May was a busy month for the Southeastern Livestock Exposition. President Frank Ellis and staffer Sarah Hunter travelled to Las Vegas for the Association of Rodeo Committees (ARC) Global Conference where they spent their time networking with PRCA leaders and rodeo committees. These relationships and industry updates are key to the success of the SLE Rodeo. The following week, a group of SLE and ACA representatives, including Miss SLE Rodeo Ada Grace Stacey, visited Atmore to support the Poarch Band of Creek Indians (PBCI) at the groundbreaking for their new meat processing facility. Our PBCI friends have been great supporters of the SLE youth scholarship program for more than a decade. If you are around Atmore, be sure to stop by the impressive PBCI Museum to learn more about the Tribe and the progress they have made throughout the years.

Black Vulture Depredation Sub-Permit

Livestock producers experiencing depredation from black vultures may now apply for a no cost Black Vulture Depredation Sub-Permit through the Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries. All applicants for the depredation sub-permit must agree to the requirements found in the Authorizations and Conditions section of the black vulture depredation permitting page at agi.alabama.gov. These authorizations and conditions are part of the statewide permit issued to ADAI by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). ADAI cannot alter these provisions.

All approved applicants will be allowed to take up to three black vultures as long as the statewide take number has not exceeded 500. Approved applicants must report each take within 48 hours. If 500 vultures are harvested in the state, applicants will receive an email notifying them that no more vultures may be taken during the permit period.Approved applicants are not allowed to take any other migratory bird species. Even if an approved applicant does not harvest any black vultures, they must login to their account and report “no birds taken,” no later than December 31, 2023. For more information, visit agi.alabama.gov.