Welcome, fall! Just as the autumn equinox hit, the weather turned cool and crisp— a welcomed occurrence for September! While it may not last forever, we will enjoy it for now, right? The turn in weather also sent calves falling to the ground…we’ve loved seeing all the fall calving photos on social media. Keep them coming! As with each year, the fall months are busy. They just may look a a little different than usual this year. Nevertheless, keep reading to learn what we’re up to this week at the ACA.

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Boots on the Ground in South AL

When it comes to giving back, Alabama’s cattlemen know how to put boots on the ground! Several members of the Young Cattlemen’s Leadership Program joined staffers and Baldwin County leadership this past Saturday as we visited 14 different operations to provide feed, gasoline, water and most importantly, manual labor. Throughout the day, the seven different crews restored fence lines, cut up downed trees, removed debris and hopefully restored a little hope to the Baldwin Countians. The compassion of the volunteers and the gratefulness of the members was not mistaken. You can donate to these relief efforts, funded by the Alabama Cattlemen’s Foundation, at www.BamaBeef.org/Relief.

Alabama Agriculture Stabilization Program 

Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded $26 Million of CARES Act Funds to assist Alabama Agriculture impacted by COVID-19. Funding will be used to establish the Alabama Agricultural Stabilization Program (AASP). No funds may be utilized for salaries, building projects, or capital improvements.  Commissioner Rick Pate reminds everyone that the Cattle Producer Applications for the Alabama Agriculture Stabilization Program (AASP) will be available online beginning Tuesday Sept. 8, 2020, at 9 a.m. Applicants should visit crf.alabama.gov or agi.alabama.gov to apply. 

In order to be eligible for cattle relief funds:

• You must be an Alabama resident
• You must be able to provide documentation that you sold cattle during the date range of April 16, 2020 through May 15, 2020. Slaughter cattle and bulls do not qualify for payment.
• If claiming payment for Dairy Production, you must have been eligible for USDA’s CFAP program for Dairy Production and you must provide the total amount of the CFAP payment you received for Dairy Production.
• Need a copy of your W-9
• Require successful submission of this application and signed certification and assurances form
• Must submit bank account information for electronic payment
• Must provide of a voided check or a memo from your bank with account number and routing number.

Maximum “per head” payments for beef cattle:

Less than 600 lbs. x $69/head

600-900 lbs. x $106/head

Fed cattle (Fats) (over 900 lbs.) x $181/head

If you have any questions regarding eligibility, please call 334-240-7100 or email: aasp-questions@agi.alabama.gov

USDA Releases CFAP 2 Program

On Monday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture opened application for a second round of COVID assistance relief through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), or CFAP 2. Key details include:

Signups began Monday, September 21 and will run through December 11, 2020.

Cattle Payments: The CFAP 2 payment rate for eligible beef cattle is $55 per head. Payments will be based on the maximum owned inventory of eligible livestock, excluding breeding stock, on a date selected by the producer, between Apr. 16, 2020, and Aug. 31, 2020.

More CFAP 2 details are available on USDA’s website: https://www.farmers.gov/cfap/livestock.

Congrats, Morgan!

It’s an exciting week in our office as on Saturday, we will all celebrate the marriage of one of our staffers, Morgan Pounds, to her fiancé, Tyler. This wedding is a long time coming as Morgan and Tyler were set to tie the knot in March before COVID reared its ugly head. Plans changed, but the excitement remains the same! Join us in wishing well the future Mrs. Morgan Desselle!! Email Morgan a Wedding Wish

Foundation Scholarships Now Open

Applications for the 2021-2022 Alabama Cattlemen’s Foundation Scholarships are now open online at www.BamaBeef.org/Scholarships. The ACF is proud to award over $65,000 in scholarships annually to Alabama’s youth in livestock and those who are the children or grandchildren of longtime members. We offer a variety of scholarships with a range of requirements— there’s truly something to fit any student! We appreciate those who purchase the Cowboy vanity car tag that help fund these scholarships, as well as the generous families who have endowed scholarships through our foundation. Applications CLOSE on November 6 at midnight, so be sure your favorite student(s) submits today!

Filming October Beef Month Cooking Segments

On Tuesday, ACA Director of Education and Outreach Ali Cantrell was joined in Mobile by Elesha Ergle, RDN and agriscience teacher and cattle producer Emily Dent to film cooking segments for Gulf Coast newscasts, to air in October. They highlighted the versatility of beef- hitting on heart health, cooking with kids and featuring all those delicious fall comforts and tailgating hits! If you’re in Mobile or surrounding counties, be sure to watch out each week for one of these Cooking with John segments to air!

Beef Up the Blood Supply

Speaking of October, this year, the ACA is going to “Beef Up the Blood Supply” throughout Alabama with LifeSouth Blood Bank. To celebrate Beef Month, we will be hosting a week of blood donations across Alabama starting in Dothan on October 12! If you live in the Dothan area, have blood, and love a good steak please reach out to us about donating blood that day and you will receive a discount on a Conestoga Steak for your donation. Then the beef mobile will be driving to Decatur Morgan Hospital in north Alabama for two straight days of blood donation and giving away steak sandwiches and beef meal vouchers. We will return to the MOOseum on October 15 for blood donations in the Montgomery area and then we will wrap up the week at the Pike County Cattlemen’s Association center in Troy, AL. Please contact our staffer, Ali Cantrell, about getting signed up for these blood drives if they are near your area!

Save the Date- Beef Checkoff Task Force Meeting

The Alabama Beef Checkoff Task Force meeting will be held Thursday, October 29 at the Cattlemen’s building in Montgomery. ANY cattlemen in Alabama interested in attending this meeting is welcome to do so by contacting the ACA office at (334) 265-1867. It is a way to get completely involved in the process and having a say in how beef checkoff dollars are spent in the state. The ideas that come out of the task force meeting will be put into a marketing plan and presented to the Beef Checkoff Council for approval and budgeting. Contact an ACA officer or the office today to get more information on the meeting.

SLE Annual Meeting

We look forward to the opportunity to eat and fellowship with members of the Southeastern Livestock Exposition on Thursday evening at the Wetumpka Civic Center for the group’s annual gathering. Membership will also conduct a meeting, in addition to the fun and fellowship. We look forward to a fun year for SLE!

Thanks for reading this week’s post! Until we post again, we want to remind you that you can stay in touch with us by following us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Ah September— and the slightest hint at fall weather. Well, for a minute anyway! It was nice while it lasted, but as things continue to stay fired up on the farm, we also are fired up about upcoming fall events! While you turn your focus to fall calving, hay season and the holidays…our eyes are on bull sales and beef. Keep reading to learn more about what the ACA is up to this week.

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Alabama Agriculture Stabilization Program

Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded $26 Million of CARES Act Funds to assist Alabama Agriculture impacted by COVID-19. Funding will be used to establish the Alabama Agricultural Stabilization Program (AASP). No funds may be utilized for salaries, building projects, or capital improvements.  Commissioner Rick Pate reminds everyone that the Cattle Producer Applications for the Alabama Agriculture Stabilization Program (AASP) will be available online beginning Tuesday Sept. 8, 2020, at 9 a.m. Applicants should visit crf.alabama.gov or agi.alabama.gov to apply. 

In order to be eligible for cattle relief funds:

• You must be an Alabama resident
• You must be able to provide documentation that you sold cattle during the date range of April 16, 2020 through May 15, 2020. Slaughter cattle and bulls do not qualify for payment.
• If claiming payment for Dairy Production, you must have been eligible for USDA’s CFAP program for Dairy Production and you must provide the total amount of the CFAP payment you received for Dairy Production.
• Need a copy of your W-9
• Require successful submission of this application and signed certification and assurances form
• Must submit bank account information for electronic payment
• Must provide of a voided check or a memo from your bank with account number and routing number.

Maximum “per head” payments for beef cattle:

Less than 600 lbs. x $69/head

600-900 lbs. x $106/head

Fed cattle (Fats) (over 900 lbs.) x $181/head

If you have any questions regarding eligibility, please call 334-240-7100 or email: aasp-questions@agi.alabama.gov

Stopping by Stockyards

ACA Director of Field Services Morgan Pounds is headed to South Alabama Stockyard’s weekly sale today in Brundidge. She looks forward to seeing the sale and cattlemen from that area. She will also be stopping by Montgomery and Mid-State to put out flyers explaining how to sign up for the Alabama Agriculture Stabilization Program. Stockyard owners be on the lookout for letters in the mail explaining this program as well as providing you with a flyer to put up in your yard.

Membership Update

As of today, our statewide membership number is at 9,203 members. We can almost taste that 10,000….so keep recruiting! In case you need a little help along the way with incentives, we are now offering weekly giveaways featuring excellent ACA items and gear to those who join. This week’s item is a grilling set, perfect for the tailgating season that’s soon to kick off! For members who join today (Wednesday) through Sunday, Sept. 13, they’ll automatically be put in the pot to win this prize. We’ve got more items on the horizon, including more cutting boards, custom ACA leather gloves and swag baskets. Stay tuned and recruit!! 

Also, county presidents and secretaries who went “Over the Top,” please submit your coat and shirt sizes into Jessica Kennedy at the office so we can get those Over the Top prizes ordered!

The MOOseum- Last Chance to Vote!

The MOOseum is in a contest to be named the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Small Business Impact Maker! Hop over to the website today to vote for The MOOseum as this week is your last chance! We sure are proud of our children’s educational center, and you should be too. Website: https://www.montgomerychamber.com/mgm-impact-makers

Bama’s Best Beef Update

This past Sunday ended our last of four photo challenges featuring our eight semifinalist restaurants and dishes! Gather (Atmore) Train Wreck dish took home the seat in the Final 4 against Preston’s Ribeye in Troy. That being said, that means our four finalists are: Bama Bucks (Sardis City) Trophy Mount Ribeye; Jeff’s Place (Roanoke) Steak Sandwich; Diamond Jim’s & Mrs. Donna’s Famous Ribeye; and Gather (Atmore)’s Train Wreck field dish. Now, as the judges head out with their marching orders to anonymously taste test each of the finalist dishes, the fun continues on Facebook as we’ve launched the People’s Choice contest. Click here and give your hometown finalist dish a LIKE to earn them the title of Bama’s Best Beef: People’s Choice!

Foundation Scholarships Now Open

Applications for the 2021-2022 Alabama Cattlemen’s Foundation Scholarships are now open online at www.BamaBeef.org/Scholarships. The ACF is proud to award over $65,000 in scholarships annually to Alabama’s youth in livestock and those who are the children or grandchildren of longtime members. We offer a variety of scholarships with a range of requirements— there’s truly something to fit any student! We appreciate those who purchase the Cowboy vanity car tag that help fund these scholarships, as well as the generous families who have endowed scholarships through our foundation. Applications CLOSE on November 6 at midnight, so be sure your favorite student(s) submits today!

Where’s the Beef? Contest

The “Where’s the Beef?” Cook-off contest is going on as usual at the Alabama National Fair. ACA will be sponsoring the contest and providing the judges. It will begin at 7 p.m. on October 16 in the Creative Living Center at the Garrett Coliseum. If you are interested in participating, visit the Alabama National Fair website.

Beef Up the Blood Supply

Speaking of October, this year, the ACA is going to “Beef Up the Blood Supply” throughout Alabama with LifeSouth Blood Bank. To celebrate Beef Month, we will be hosting a week of blood donations across Alabama starting in Dothan on October 12! If you live in the Dothan area, have blood, and love a good steak please reach out to us about donating blood that day and you will receive a discount on a Conestoga Steak for your donation. Then the beef mobile will be driving to Decatur Morgan Hospital in north Alabama for two straight days of blood donation and giving away steak sandwiches and beef meal vouchers. We will return to the MOOseum on October 15 for blood donations in the Montgomery area and then we will wrap up the week at the Pike County Cattlemen’s Association center in Troy, AL. Please contact our staffer, Ali Cantrell, about getting signed up for these blood drives if they are near your area!

SLE Update

The Southeastern Livestock Exposition (SLE) Rodeo Board of Directors is meeting today to approve some business items before being brought the membership at its annual meeting happening September 24 at the Wetumpka Civic Center. Members please RSVP to Sydney Dougherty at our office if you plan to attend. 

Save the Date- Beef Checkoff Task Force Meeting

The Alabama Beef Checkoff Task Force meeting will be held Thursday, October 29 at the Cattlemen’s building in Montgomery. ANY cattlemen in Alabama interested in attending this meeting is welcome to do so by contacting the ACA office at (334) 265-1867. It is a way to get completely involved in the process and having a say in how beef checkoff dollars are spent in the state. The ideas that come out of the task force meeting will be put into a marketing plan and presented to the Beef Checkoff Council for approval and budgeting. Contact an ACA officer or the office today to get more information on the meeting.

Thanks for reading this week’s post! Until we post again, we want to remind you that you can stay in touch with us by following us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Welcome, Fall months! We have been awaiting your arrival. As we turn the calendars over to a new month, the temperatures may not quite reflect the seasonal change yet, but boy, the event lineup sure does. We are seeing more educational events, sales and county events as we look ahead to a new season of 2020. Be sure to let us know what you have on the calendar by contacting our office, and keep reading to find out what we are up to this week at the ACA.

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ALABAMA AGRICULTURE STABALIZATION PROGRAM

On Tuesday, September 8, the Alabama Agriculture Stabilization Program applications for the direct payments on cattle sold from April 16-May 15 will open on www.agi.alabama.gov. Cattlemen will need to complete the online application with required individual information, sales documentation on cattle sold (no slaughter bulls or cows are eligible), W-9 and bank information. A checklist of items will be sent out to the ACA membership by the end of this week, so producers are prepared on Tuesday when the program begins.

MEMBERSHIP UPDATE

As of today, our statewide membership number is at 9,1 43 members. We can almost taste that 10,000….so keep recruiting! In case you need a little help along the way with incentives, we are now offering weekly giveaways featuring excellent ACA items and gear to those who join. This week’s item is a custom walnut serving board, perfect for the holiday season ahead! For members who join today (Wednesday) through Labor Day Monday, they’ll automatically be put in the pot to win this prize. We’ve got more items on the horizon, including grills, custom ACA leather gloves, swags baskets and more cutting boards. Stay tuned and recruit!!

Also, county presidents and secretaries who went “Over the Top,” please submit your coat and shirt sizes into Jessica Kennedy at the office so we can get those Over the Top prizes ordered!

BAMA’S BEST BEEF UPDATE: FIERY PHOTO CHALLENGES

This week launched our second of four photo challenges featuring our eight semifinalist restaurants and dishes! This week, Fannie’s Vista Burger in Fayette, AL went head-to-head with Jeff’s Place Steak Sandwich, a dish that calls Roanoke, AL in Randolph County home. In this round of the contest, Jeff’s Place secured its seat in the Final 4 with almost 195 votes, just barely ahead of Fannie’s with 191 votes at the closing hour! Special thanks to both restaurants for participating. Our next photo challenge— featuring Diamond Jim’s & Mrs. Donna’s Famous Ribeye in Livingston and 5 Points Deli & Grill “One Hot Mess” Burger in Montgomery—ends today at 2:30 p.m. and as it stands, Diamond Jim’s I just barely in the lead. Our fourth and final round launches tomorrow with our south Alabama semifinalists, so stay tuned for next week’s update. Be sure to pump up your local dives with a vote and a visit!

YCLP COUNCIL MEETS VIRTUALLY

ACA Director of Field Services Morgan Pounds jumped on a Zoom call with the current Young Cattlemen’s Leadership Program (YCLP) Council on Tuesday to discuss the current class and upcoming alumni opportunities. The council discussed alumni opportunities at the 2021 ACA Convention as well as a potential joint alumni and Class VIII farm tour for Summer 2021.

This year at convention, YCLP will have a booth in the trade show to talk to young producers about the program. The YCLP Council is continuing to aid in planning future classes and keeping alumni updated. Another role discussed was the selection process for the next YCLP class. Applications will go live January 5 – March 12 for YCLP Class VIII. Email Morgan Pounds with any questions concerning YCLP or visit our webpage, https://www.bamabeef.org/p/about/yclp.

COUNTY RODEOS FIRE UP

ACA Staffers have enjoyed the chance to get out and about to two different county Cattlemen’s rodeos over the past several weeks. First, we’d like to congratulate Clay and Pike counties on two outstanding events! ACA’s Lauren Wilson also looks forward to attending her home county’s event later in September in Lawrence County, so mark your calendars for family fun ahead!

A PRESIDENTIAL VISIT

On Thursday, staffers Ali Cantrell and Morgan Pounds will be traveling to ACA President Larry Reeves’ farm to visit with him about October Beef Month plans as well as get a picture of our president with our Beef Month proclamation. Gov. Kay Ivey has already signed our proclamation to officially declare October as Beef Month in Alabama, so we are very excited to kick off the month by promoting beef and hosting festivities throughout our great state.

BEEF UP THE BLOOD SUPPLY

Speaking of October, this year, the ACA is going to “Beef Up the Blood Supply” throughout Alabama with LifeSouth Blood Bank. To celebrate Beef Month, we will be hosting a week of blood donations across Alabama starting in Dothan on October 12! If you live in the Dothan area, have blood, and love a good steak please reach out to us about donating blood that day and you will receive a discount on a Conestoga Steak for your donation. Then the beef mobile will be driving to Decatur Morgan Hospital in north Alabama for two straight days of blood donation and giving away steak sandwiches and beef meal vouchers. We will return to the MOOseum on October 15 for blood donations in the Montgomery area and then we will wrap up the week at the Pike County Cattlemen’s Association center in Troy, AL. Please contact our staffer, Ali Cantrell, about getting signed up for these blood drives if they are near your area!

SLE UPDATE

The Southeastern Livestock Exposition (SLE) Rodeo Sponsorship Committee is meeting Thursday to lay out plans and update the sponsor packet to begin reaching out to businesses for 2021. The organization will have its annual meeting on September 24, also, so members please RSVP to Sydney Dougherty at our office .

We would also like to extend our condolences to the family of Rex Bugbee, pickup man for SLE stock contractor Frontier Rodeo Company, who died last week from injuries sustained in a rodeo accident. We will greatly miss his presence on the dirt at the Garrett Coliseum.

THE MOOSEUM- VOTE NOW!

The MOOseum is in a contest to be named the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Small Business Impact Maker! Hope over to the website today to vote for The MOOseum! We sure are proud of our children’s educational center, and you should be too. Website: https://www.montgomerychamber.com/mgm-impact-makers

SAVE THE DATE- BEEF CHECKOFF TASK FORCE

The Alabama Beef Checkoff Task Force meeting will be held Thursday, October 29 at the Cattlemen’s building in Montgomery. ANY cattlemen in Alabama interested in attending this meeting is welcome to do so by contacting the ACA office at (334) 265-1867. It is a way to get completely involved in the process and having a say in how beef checkoff dollars are spent in the state. The ideas that come out of the task force meeting will be put into a marketing plan and presented to the Beef Checkoff Council for approval and budgeting. Contact an ACA officer or the office today to get more information on the meeting.

Thanks for reading this week’s post! Until we post again, we want to remind you that you can stay in touch with us by following us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

And, in the blink of an eye, we are just about to flip our calendar from August and into the fall months. As calves start to fill the farm landscapes, and harvest takes up time, your state Cattlemen’s staff is busy with a whole list of events and activities that keep our fall calendar full— even on a year like 2020. Cattle sales, beef promotion, educational events and of course, October Beef Month are all top of mind these days. Keep reading to learn more about all that’s going on to prepare for FALL!

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Successful Weekend with YCLP

Young Cattlemen’s Leadership Program Class VII headed south to Mobile County for its second session this past weekend. The class enjoyed Extension Specialist Ken Kelly’s talk as they learned about budgeting, forages and record keeping practices. We appreciate support from Ken Kelly and Dr. Kelly Palmer as they helped in planning session two and providing education to this year’s class. While in Grand Bay, the participants got to visit two producers. The class visited Mr. Anthony Faggard and Mr. Calvin Freeland of Mobile County. We appreciate their Southern hospitality as they toured the YCLP participants at their farms and offered their extensive knowledge of forages, stockering calves and marketing cattle.

The MOOseum- VOTE NOW

The MOOseum is in a contest to be named the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Small Business Impact Maker! Hope over to the website today to vote for The MOOseum! We sure are proud of our children’s educational center, and you should be too. Website: https://www.montgomerychamber.com/mgm-impact-makers

Bama’s Best Beef Update

This week launched our first of four photo challenges featuring our eight semifinalist restaurants and dishes! This week, Bear Creek on the Trail’s Prime Rib from Cherokee, AL in Lauderdale County went head-to-head with Bama Buck’s Trophy Mount Ribeye, a beloved dish from Sardis City in Etowah County. In this round of the contest, Bama Bucks secured its seat in the Final 4 with almost 500 votes! Special thanks to both restaurants for participating. Our next photo challenge launches tomorrow and will feature Fayette County’s own Fannie’s Vista Burger against Jeff’s Place Ribeye Steak Sandwich from Roanoke. Be sure to pump up your local dives with a vote and a visit!

Membership Update

We are excited this week as we broke 9,000 members and are on our way to 10,000 in 2020! Final membership statements have hit mailboxes, and those remittances are coming back to the state office and online. We are also beginning a series of membership giveaways on Facebook to promote joining or renewing with the ACA. The first giveaway launched today and features a beautiful, custom bamboo charcuterie serving board! Anyone who joins or renews today through Sunday will be entered to win, and this is just the first of many awesome prize packages to encourage membership!

Cattle Sale Season

Sale Season has officially arrived! We are excited to be able to get out and support our producers all across the state in their sales. Staffer, Morgan Pounds enjoyed the Piedmont Feeder Calf sale last Thursday in Lafayette and hopped online yesterday to enjoy the all-virtual Alabama & Mississippi Simmental Sale. She and staffer Kayla Greer are heading to Uniontown on Friday for the 22 Annual Herdbuilder Replacement Female sale! We hope to see you there. Check out all the upcoming sales at www.BamaBeef.org/CattleSales or in your next issue of the Alabama Cattleman.

Beef Up the Blood Supply

This October, ACA is going to “Beef Up the Blood Supply” throughout Alabama in partnership with Lifesouth. To celebrate Beef Month and do our civic duties, we will be hosting a week of blood donations across Alabama starting in Dothan on October 12! If you live in the Dothan area, have blood, and love a good steak — please reach out to us about donating blood that day, and you will receive a discount on a Conestoga Steak for your donation. Then, the Beef Truck will be driving to Decatur Morgan Hospital in north Alabama for two straight days of blood donation and giving away steak sandwiches and beef meal vouchers. We will return to The MOOseum on October 15 for blood donations in the Montgomery area and then will wrap up the week at the Pike County Cattlemen’s Association building in Troy, AL. Please contact ACA’s Ali Cantrell about getting signed up for these blood drives if they are near your area!

Save the Date- Beef Checkoff Task Force

The Alabama Beef Checkoff Task Force meeting will be held Thursday, October 29 at the Cattlemen’s building in Montgomery. ANY cattlemen in Alabama interested in attending this meeting is welcome to do so by contacting the ACA office at (334) 265-1867. It is a way to get completely involved in the process and having a say in how beef checkoff dollars are spent in the state. The ideas that come out of the task force meeting will be put into a marketing plan and presented to the Beef Checkoff Council for approval and budgeting. Contact an ACA officer or the office today to get more information on the meeting.

SLE Update

The Southeastern Livestock Exposition is gearing up for the 2021 season as meetings to kick start the year are in the works. Staffer Lauren Wilson will host a budget meeting and sponsorship committee meeting in the coming week, and the SLE Annual Meeting and Membership Dinner will be Thursday, September 24. If you are a member of the SLE, please remember to RSVP to that event by calling (334) 265-1867 or emailing Sydney Dougherty.

Thanks for reading this week’s post! Until we post again, we want to remind you that you can stay in touch with us by following us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Can you believe August is halfway finished, and we are headed quickly into the fall months!? This year has been the slowest and fastest year, combined! It’s certainly a year for the history books. As we prepare for the fall season ahead, we look forward to heavy-paged magazines full of sale ads, heavy-bred cattle ready to calve and a very beef October as we prepare to celebrate Beef Month. Our sites are set on all there is to look forward to, but keep reading to hear about what’s going on this week.

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ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL STABALIZATION PROGRAM

The Alabama Cattlemen’s Association (ACA) hails Gov. Kay Ivey for her approval of the Alabama Agricultural Stabilization Program, which includes $10.5 million for the beef cattle industry. Funding is provided as part of the $1.8 billion Alabama received from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and will be implemented through the Department of Agriculture and Industries. 

The ACA along with industry stakeholders worked in coordination with the Department of Agriculture and Industries to propose framework for a program specifically for the cattle industry. “We are appreciative of Gov. Ivey’s continued support and recognition of the importance of Alabama’s beef cattle industry,” ACA President Larry Reeves said. “Economic stability is imperative for cattlemen, and these funds will help alleviate the financial stresses incurred from this ongoing pandemic.” The program will provide $10.5 million to cattle producers in Alabama who sold cattle from April 16-May 15, 2020. This timeframe falls out of the parameters of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), which provided direct payment for cattle sold January 15-April 15. Cattlemen in the state who sold cattle during the April 16-May 15 time period should expect to provide a sales receipt outlining the number of cattle sold, date of sale, and weight of cattle to be eligible for application. Those approved will receive $69/head for calves weighing less than 600 pounds, $106/head for cattle 601-900 pounds and $181/head for cattle over 900 pounds. Additionally, $1.5 million have been awarded as a grant program for existing small meat processors in the state to increase slaughter capacity.

HEADED TO THE BURGER BASH

This Friday, ACA Director of Education & Outreach Ali Cantrell will be traveling to Houston County for a Burger Bash! Cattlemen from Houston County and many other civic servants in the community will be cooking burgers for first responders in the area as a thank you for their service. It’s always a great day when you can show gratitude to someone by feeding them a delicious beef dish!

BOARD MEETING RECAP & MEMBERSHIP UPDATE

Thanks to all who attended last week’s Board of Directors meeting, whether in-person or virtually. We hosted a great event with Cattlemen’s Beef Board update, a state checkoff report, information about the new Alabama Agricultural Stabilization Program and a vote on a by-laws change. We also celebrated 18 counties who went “Over the Top” in the 2020 membership year. Stay tuned for a report in the upcoming magazine. Also, don’t forget to keep recruiting members! As it stands today, the ACA is the proud home of 8,972 members…but let’s make it 10,000!

THE MOOSEUM- MGM IMPACT MAKER

The MOOseum is in a contest to be named the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Small Business Impact Maker! Hope over to the website today to vote for The MOOseum! We sure are proud of our children’s educational center, and you should be too. Website: https://www.montgomerychamber.com/mgm-impact-makers

OCTOBER BEEF MONTH PLANNING

October is top of mind these days for staffers Ali Cantrell and Kayla Greer as the duo seek to tackle the month of beef promotion efforts. Cooking segments on statewide local news are in the works, as well as radio, while digital plans are also shaping up. Be on the lookout for fun giveaways, educational videos and lots and lots of beautiful beef imagery and recipes to share on social media! We are looking forward to continuing this beloved ACA tradition of promoting beef in October! If your county is in need of promotional materials or books to read to schools, be sure to contact Ali at our office!

BAMA’S BEST BEEF CONTEST- NOMINATIONS ARE IN!

Nominations for the 2020 Bama’s Best Beef contest are now closed, and staff is working to sort through the more than 5,000 submissions to narrow down our 8 semifinalists! Now more than ever, we need to show our support for those locally owned restaurants that do a great job of bringing the BEEF! This year’s contest combines our spring and fall promotions and will have an added bonus of a People’s Choice contest, in conjunction with the actual tasting round featuring a panel of industry judges. Stay tuned for photo challenges to begin on our Facebook page this Sunday!

HEADED SOUTH TO SHOW SOME SLE GRATITUDE

SLE staffers Lauren Wilson and Erin Beasley headed south today to visit the Poarch Band of Creek Indians headquarters in Atmore, AL. Their objectives were to deliver thank you cards submitted by our many PBCI scholarship recipients and present the 2020 sponsor buckle to Keith Martin and Trina Rackard. They enjoyed the visit down, and of course, very much appreciate the continued generous support of the PBCI to Alabama’s youth and the SLE Rodeo.

Thanks for reading this week’s post! Until we post again, we want to remind you that you can stay in touch with us by following us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

And just like that, it’s August! More than halfway through 2020, and this must be the longest year in history. It certainly has been one for the history books! As we turn ahead to board sale season, bull sale season and a busy fall full of beef promotion, we are giddy to get our boots on the ground. Keep reading to find out what’s to come and what’s happening this week at the ACA.

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MEMBERSHIP UPDATE & BOARD MEMO

The “Over the Top” deadline has come and gone, and we’d like to congratulate those counties that went over their membership goals and earned their presidents an iconic ACA red coat. We had 18 counties achieve this goal, and they are: Auburn Collegiate, Chambers, Choctaw, Clay, Coffee, Colbert, Coosa, Covington, Franklin, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lowndes, Madison, Morgan, Randolph, St Clair, Tallapoosa and Washington counties.

We would also like to remind county leaders that next week’s board meeting will take place on Thursday, August 13 at the RSA Activity Center in downtown Montgomery. Due to COVID-19, this meeting will allow only a limited audience of one(1) representative per county and will require masks or face coverings. If you haven’t yet, be sure to RSVP to Jessica Kennedy here at the office.

Cattlemen’s sale calendar

HEADED SOUTH FOR FARM TOURS

Staffers Morgan Pounds and Kayla Greer will head south on Wednesday for farm visits and photos. They are looking forward to spending time with Cattlemen in the Mobile County Area. They will be stopping by Anthony Faggard and Calvin Freeland’s operation, both in Grand Bay, to learn what they do day to day on their farms. Director of Field Services Morgan Pounds is always searching for different farms to tour all across the state. If you are a member and would like to host a YCLP Tour or AJCA Field Day at your farm in the future, please contact her for a farm visit.

LOOKING AHEAD

This week has focused a lot on looking ahead as October and the kickoff of the SLE Rodeo timeline takes place. This week, staff with SLE Rodeo met to lay out a timeline for the remainder of the 2020 and into 2021. Checkoff staff also met to layout a marketing plan and budget for October Beef Month. As you can imagine, it will look a little different than normal, but the beauty of digital marketing is that it is always on! Never fear, beef will be promoted no matter what!!

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