Alabama Cattlemen’s Foundation Report: Hay for Texas
Thanks to the generosity of individuals and county chapters, the Alabama Cattlemen’s Foundation (ACF) was able to send a monetary donation in the amount of $25,000 to a fund stood up by the Texas Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association to assist cattlemen in the Texas Panhandle who have recently experience catastrophe in the wake of the largest wildfire this nation has ever seen. The path of devastation burned more than 1.5 million acres, with early reports indicating a loss of more than 7,000 cattle.
Following, on March 19, a partnership between the ACF, the Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries (ADAI) and Alabama Tucking Association (ATA) launched an effort to supply hay to Panhandle cattlemen in desperate need. With logistics being handled by ADAI and trucking services offered by members of the ATA, we set out to find hay— and WOW what a response! With 15-20 loads donated thus far, we are proud to report that as of today, four loads hauling 105 round bales of donated have already made the 1,000-mile trip to Borger, TX. Our hats off to, Alabama cattlemen. Thank you for your generosity! If you would like to learn more or donate, visit www.BamaBeef.org/TXrelief.
Upcoming Junior Cattlemen Activities
The Alabama Junior Cattlemen’s Association (AJCA) will hold its North Alabama Spring Field Day on Wednesday, April 10 at the North Alabama Agri-Plex in Rainsville. Registration for that event is now live on the website— youth will enjoy a BQA certification course, a roping demonstration and hands-on herd health activities. Right on its heels will be the south Alabama version of that same field day in Andalusia on May 8 at the Covington Center Arena. Hop online and learn more about those events and get registered today! Register for the north Alabama event here: https://www.bamabeef.org/events/2024/field-day.
Cattle Connect Podcast, Tune in Today!
The Cattle Connect podcast is proud to report that in less than 10 episodes, it has more than 1,000 listens! In January of this year, the Cattle Connect podcast hit streaming platforms to launch the 2024 season, and it airs weekly on Friday mornings at 7AM. Listen is as staff discusses beef industry news and explores the many facets of the ACA! This podcast is available on Apple Podcast, Spotify, YouTube and at www.BamaBeef.org/Podcast. So far this season has featured information on the history of the ACA, The MOOseum, ACA’s 2024 Legislative Priorities, a convention recap, the SLE Rodeo’s unique mission, Spring Culinary activities, and this week will feature information on upcoming youth activities. Tune in on your favorite streaming platform today to catch up on the first nine episodes and subscribe to get notifications when a new episode airs!
Membership Report
The ACA is aiming to go Over the Top again in 2024— help us get over 10,000 members! We are proud to report that as of today, we represent 8,312 members, and growing more with each county annual meeting that takes place. We are grateful for the grassroots efforts of our county organizations and look forward to another year of membership advocacy alongside you!
Membership Deadlines to Remember
Remember, the Over the Top County Chapter deadline to earn your president a coveted ACA red coat is June 30. And believe us when we say that will be here before we know it!
County Meetings
As most counties across Alabama have held local chapter membership meetings, we encourage county leaders to send in updated officer information following the meeting. Submit the names and contact information of your county president and secretary to Jessica Kennedy so they can be added to our correspondence list for upcoming meetings and pertinent membership information!
Membership Mail Outs
The second (of three) membership remittance mail outs will hit mailboxes in April. County secretaries are encouraged to be on the lookout for those coming in and input them promptly to ensure that members continue to receive their exclusive benefits without lapse!
2024 Alabama Legislative Session Report
With more than half of the 30 legislative days burned, there are a number of hard-hitting topics that have made big movements through the 2024 Alabama Legislative Session, while several other high-importance packages, such as budgets, remain in the works. Below are status reports of bills that directly impact cattle producers and private landowners. Read more in the April edition of the Alabama Cattleman magazine.
Livestock Fencing Tax Exemption
SB 73 sponsored by Sen. Jack Williams would exempt fencing materials purchased with the intent to contain livestock from sales and use taxes, adding these materials to the expansive list of agricultural exemptions in the state such as feed, seed and fertilizer. With a goal of alleviating input costs on producers and joining the states around Alabama who have already enacted this legislation, the Senate version of the bill has passed out of its chamber, while the House version (HB 124) carried by Rep. Danny Crawford awaits its time in the House Ways and Means Education Committee.
Carcass Disposal
Conversations began in February among ACA and the Department of Agriculture and Industries about the current state law for approved dead animal disposal. From those conversations, Sen. Josh Carnley and Rep. Matthew Hammett were willing to carry legislation (SB 202 and HB 297, respectively) on the not-so-glamourous topic. The legislation would amend the existing code to allow the Department of Agriculture and Industries board to adopt rules for disposal. As it currently stands, burning and burial are the only approve means of carcass disposal in the state. Each bill has passed out of its respective committee and is up for pick on the special order calendar.
Ban on Cell-Cultured Food Products
Now passed out of the Senate and House committee and awaiting its turn on the House special order calendar, SB 23 by Sen. Jack Williams would outright ban the manufacturing, sale or distribution of cell cultured food products in Alabama. Note: this does not pertain to plant-based protein products, only those products which are derived from the cells of animals.
Real Property Tax Assessment
Private landowners rejoice at the notion of capping property tax hikes on reappraisal, which is the goal of Rep. Phillip Pettus’ HB 73 and Sen. David Sessions’ companion bill, SB 110. As originally written, these bills put a 3% cap on ad valorem tax hikes on Class III (agricultural) properties in a given year during the county reappraisal process; however, in committee, an amendment raised that percentage to 5% and was favorably passed. The House version of the bill now awaits its time on the House special order calendar, while a public hearing in Senate committee— where ACA’s Erin Beasley testified in favor of the proposed legislative— awaits favorable passage and time on the Senate floor.
As we turn our eyes to the second half of the 2024 Alabama Legislative Session, the ACA governmental affairs team will have an eye on these pieces of legislation, and many others. If you have questions or concerns, please call our office and ask to speak with Erin Beasley or Kayla Greer.
Other Legislative Activities: FFA Day on the Hill and Tour of Mason Hills Farm
On March 19, more than 200 Alabama FFA Association members gathered in downtown Montgomery for FFA Day on the Hill. The ACA had the pleasure to host 75 of those students for a program at the Cattlemen’s Building. Guest speakers included Attorney General Steve Marshall, Sen. Josh Carnley, Sen. Donnie Chesteen, Rep. Jamie Kiel and Rep. Van Smith, as well as several stakeholder partners.
Then on March 26, during the 2024 Alabama Legislative Session Spring Break, lawmakers joined ACA and Department of Ag staff in Grand Bay, AL (Mobile County) for a unique opportunity! The group enjoyed a tour of Mason Hills Farm and Processing Facility, complete with a local beef lunch. Joining us for the tour was Sen. David Sessions, Rep. Chip Brown, Sen. Jack Williams and Rep. Jennifer Fidler. Special thanks to Mason Hills owner Joey Mason for his hospitality and for sharing his story with lawmakers!
2024 Alabama Junior & Senior High School Beef Cookoff
The 2024 Alabama Junior & Senior High School Beef Cook-off will take place on Friday, April 12, at the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Academy at Riverchase Career Connection Center (RC3) in Birmingham, AL. In order to qualify for the state competition, contestants must have won a county competition. Please contact ACA Director of Consumer Outreach Josie Jones if you are interested in hosting a county beef cook-off. More information, including rules and registration, can be found by clicking here.
Spring Culinary & Nutrition Season
ALDA Conference
The Alabama Beef Checkoff Program partnered with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association through their Nutrition Seminar Program to sponsor Melissa Joy Dobbins as a guest speaker for the annual Alabama Dietetic Association’s Annual Meeting in Montgomery, March 20-22, 2024. She is an active advocate for the agriculture industry and guilt-free food consumption in many nutrition spaces, particularly through her well-known podcast, Sound Bites. Her participation in Montgomery allowed nutritionists to practice their critical thinking skills, specifically pertaining to agriculture-related food safety conversations. She also hosted a workshop for dietetic students to practice their communication skills.
FCCLA
Thanks to the Alabama Beef Checkoff Program, Alabama Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) was able to utilize beef as the entrée feature for its 2024 Culinary Arts Contest. The Checkoff Program also provided a sponsorship for the Food Innovations and Leadership competitions in Montgomery during the Alabama FCCLA State Leadership Conference March 7-8.
ProStart Invitational
The Alabama Restaurant & Hospitality Association hosted its annual ProStart Invitational in Orange Beach March 3-4. The Alabama Beef Checkoff Program presented the Best Beef Dish award to Gulf Shores High School. Attendees also had the opportunity to learn more about beef production and create their own steak rub for use in the classroom.
BEEF 101
Beef 101 slots are full for the Spring 2024 semester! If you are a teacher or parent interested in bringing a group during the Fall 2024 semester, please contact Director of Consumer Outreach Josie Jones at josie@bamabeef.org or (334)265-1867 to get on the waitlist for Fall dates. Beef 101 is an educational program hosted at Auburn University and sponsored by the Alabama Beef Checkoff Program. During the one-day, free class, attendees will hear from producers, veterinarians, and meat lab employees during pasture to plate, animal care, and carcass fabrication demonstrations. It is open to high school culinary and agriculture programs, collegiate culinary programs, homeschool groups or anyone else looking to learn more about the beef industry and the steps required to take cattle from the pasture to the plate.
Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. Steak Cookoff
The inaugural Beef It’s What’s For Dinner Steak Cookoff was held at BBQ-Hill in Pike Road on March 23. Competitors traveled from across the United States and several other countries to compete in this Alabama Cattlemen’s Association and Alabama Beef Checkoff Program sponsored event. Divisions included biscuits, all-beef hotdogs, meatballs, steak A and steak B.
2024 SLE Rodeo Recap
The 2024 SLE Rodeo & Livestock Week was incredibly successful and even larger than before! The Southeastern Livestock Exposition (SLE) exists to support youth who are involved in agriculture. Thanks to the tremendous support from the Poarch Band of Creek Indians (PBCI), the SLE was able to make an impact on countless youth through its scholarship program for young rodeo athletes and agriculturally driven students.
After the Saturday night rodeo performance, the SLE teamed up with Wind Creek and gave the chance for one cowboy to earn $10,000 in 8 seconds. If he could ride his bounty bull until the buzzer, he would get to go home with the cash. Unfortunately for him, he was not able to cover the bull. Wind Creek still had $10,000 to give and made the decision to donate it to support the beneficiary of our 2024 SLE Miracle Rodeo: MANE (Montgomery Area Nontraditional Equestrians)!
Over 430 FFA, 4-H, and Collegiate students traveled from Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, and across Alabama to mark their cards during the 9th Annual SLE Youth Livestock Judging Contest at the Garrett Coliseum! To view a full list of winners, visit: https://tinyurl.com/2024SLELivestockJudgingWinners
Nearly 250 exhibitors brought their best to the show ring for the Junior Livestock Expo which featured dairy, beef, and swine! A special thanks goes out to our friends at the Alabama Farmers Federation for producing an outstanding show for these young people to be a part of. To view the full list of winners, visit: https://tinyurl.com/2024SLEJLEWinners
The SLE kicked off the Youth Rodeo Weekend by welcoming the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) ProStaff in on Friday morning to host a free Rodeo Skills Camp for anyone ages 8-18 to attend. After that, almost 300 youth rodeo athletes showed up to compete at the 2024 SLE Youth Rodeo Showdown. This was three days full of youth rodeo in the Garrett Coliseum! To view the all-around winners, visit: https://tinyurl.com/2024SLEYouthRodeoWinners
New to the schedule this year was the SLE 4-H Horse Quiz Bowl, Speech, and Presentation Contest! The SLE was proud to offer trophy buckles to the winners of each division! These young people did an outstanding job demonstrating their knowledge of horses while speaking to a large audience. The future of agriculture is a bright one! Thank you to Alabama 4-H Horse Project, ACES and the Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries for partnering with us to provide this opportunity.
The SLE also kept the W.O. Crawford Arena busy during the SLE Rodeo & Livestock Week with a three-day team roping produced by Allen’s Roping Productions, a Cowboy Stock Horse Show produced by the Alabama Stock Horse Association, and a Ranch Horse Jackpot produced by Benson Performance Horses.
This year, the SLE Rodeo celebrated 10 years with Frontier Rodeo Company as the stock contractor! They currently hold the tile of 9X PRCA Stock Contractor of the Year, and SLE was thrilled to welcome them back into the arena! They drew top talent to the 2024 SLE Rodeo such as Statler, Spencer, Stuart, and Rusty Wright (saddle bronc) and also countless NFR rough stock qualifiers like Chase Brooks, (saddle bronc), Wyatt Casper (saddle bronc), Sage Newman (saddle bronc), Tanner Aus (bareback), and Ernie Courson (bull riding). Other NFR qualifiers who competed include Joe Beaver (team roper), Sherry Cervi (barrel racing), Sissy Winn (barrel racing), Margo Crowther (barrel racing), Kyle Irwin (steer wrestling), Will Lummus (steer wrestling), Marcus Theriot (tie-down roping), Macon Murphy (tie-down roping), among many others. We are so proud to bring you the best in ProRodeo right here in Montgomery, AL! To view the complete list of winners, visit: https://tinyurl.com/2024SLERodeoWinners
Thank you to all who had a hand in making this event possible, and thank you to all who attended to enjoy the show! Your participation is key in supporting our mission: to support youth involved in agriculture.
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 approved applicants will be allowed to take up to three black vultures as long as the statewide take number has not exceeded 500. 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. For more information, visit agi.alabama.gov.
Bama Beef Events Calendar
The Bama Beef Events Calendar (www.BamaBeef.org/Events) is beginning to fill up with county cattlemen’s, youth and Extension activities as we look toward the spring months. Check it daily to make sure you don’t miss an event near you!
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