May is here, and it’s brought along with it one delicious month ahead!

Summer Grilling Season. National Beef Month. National Burger Month. National BBQ Month. It’s a mouthwatering month to say the least, but that’s not all that’s happening around the ACA! We’re still keeping a sharp eye on politics, hosting meetings, planning upcoming events and promoting our favorite protein, beef, all while cattle producers across the state are managing the farm and getting prepared for baling season.

Take just a few minutes to learn about what’s happening in Downtown Montgomery this week.

MEMBERSHIP REMINDERS

ACA Membership Coordinator Jessica Kennedy wanted to make sure you all got the reminder that the year-end “Over the Top” deadline is the May 9^th Board Meeting.  Counties who have gone “Over the Top” and have at least 100 members will be included in the drawing for the Priefert Chute. We have 20 counties who are within an arm’s length of going “Over the Top,” and your chance at a $5,000 Priefert squeeze chute should be encouragement enough! If that’s not enough, county presidents who go “Over the Top” will receive an award at the 2018 ACA Convention and TWO free banquet tickets.

Make sure to send in all membership before the Spring Board Meeting that our reports are as current as possible.  Following the Board Meeting, the state office will be mailing out the FINAL dues notices.  Those renewals will be routed to the state office.

Bama’s Best Beef Contest Kickoff

It’s an exciting week for social media! The 2nd annual Bama’s Best Beef contest has kicked off in search of Alabama’s most unique beef dish! The contest starts out with a nomination round which will be open until midnight on May 13. Following a week of deliberation to select a finalist in the Asian, Hispanic, All-American and Other categories, the final four dishes will go head-to-head in Facebook Photo Challenges with the hopes of being crowned “Bama’s Best Beef.”

We are proud to host the second annual contest after the contest proved its potential in 2016. Last year’s contest boasted a 327,571-person reach and 7,956 reactions, comments and shares. “Zack’s Tot Roast” from West End Grill in Huntsville took home the crown , and we are excited to try out another delicious beef dish from our home state. The Alabama Restaurant & Hospitality Association has even joined in on the fun to help co-sponsor the prizes and feature the winning dish/restaurant in their magazine!

It’s great exposure for Alabama restaurants and BEEF! Be sure to submit your nomination today at www.bamabeef.org/bestbeef. 

A Visit With the Governor

Monday afternoon took us to Goat Hill as ACA leaders Dr. Billy Powell and Erin Beasley enjoyed a nice visit with longtime friend of the Cattlemen’s Association, Gov. Kay Ivey. During the meeting, the trio discussed issues relating to the beef cattle industry and rural Alabama.

Welcome, Dr. Goodrich

On Tuesday, ACA Assistant Executive VP Erin Beasley met with the new Extension Ag Economist, Dr. Brittney Goodrich, who will begin her position in August at Auburn.  Several industry stakeholders were invited to listen to her current research and provide input on key areas that she needs to concentrate on when she begins work.  This position, previously held by Dr. Walt Prevatt, has been vital to cattle producers and we will work with Dr. Goodrich to ensure she is aware of our cattlemen needs as she goes forward with research and outreach.

YCLP Class IV

The Young Cattlemen’s Leadership Program (YCLP) Class IV will officially kick off next Monday and Tuesday for the year.  Twenty-five outstanding cattlemen between 21-40 years of age will commit to this program over the next year to learn more about the association, develop leadership skills and increase their overall knowledge of the cattle industry.  Moving forward, this program will continue to show its worth by seeing graduates move into leadership roles at the county and state level.

AJCA ROUND-UP DATES AND INTERN

For those who may have missed the news last week, the ACA is excited to have Logan Strock in our office this summer as he has accepted an internship where he will lead the effort in putting on the 11th annual AJCA Round-Up. Logan is a current AJCA director and a student at Mississippi State University where he is studying agricultural education.

The dates for this year’s Fiesta-themed event are July 20-23 at Montgomery’s Garrett Coliseum. Stay tuned as rules and registration information will be made available late May. We can’t wait to see you there!

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with Beef!

Speaking of Fiesta, we can’t leave you without un poco de inspiracion para el Cinco de Mayo…in other words, a little inspiration for Cinco de Mayo! this Friday is Mexican Independence Day, and we’re celebrating with beef! Here’s some delicious inspiration…

Happy Wednesday!

April is escaping us just as quickly as the rest of 2017 has, and we are ready for the big month of May. We’ve got a lot to look forward to with the Spring Board Meeting, the kickoff of summertime grilling season and the 2nd annual Bama’s Best Beef contest. We know many of our cattlemen are busy raking in the first baling of the summer months to prepare for wintertime, but take a break from balers, rakes and BushHogs to find out what’s going on at the ACA this week.

Membership Reminders

ACA Membership Coordinator Jessica Kennedy wanted to make sure you all got the reminder that the year-end “Over the Top” deadline is the May 9^th Board Meeting.  Counties who have gone “Over the Top” and have at least 100 members will be included in the drawing for the Priefert Chute. We have 20 counties who are within an arm’s length of going “Over the Top,” and your chance at a $5,000 Priefert squeeze chute should be encouragement enough! If that’s not enough, county presidents who go “Over the Top” will receive an award at the 2018 ACA Convention and TWO free banquet tickets.

ACA Membership is currently at 9,400.  Be sure to send in all membership before the Spring Board Meeting that our reports are as current as possible.  Following the Board Meeting, the state office will be mailing out the FINAL dues notices.  Those renewals will be routed to the state office.

We wrapped up the May issue of the Alabama Cattleman magazine, our most exciting member benefit, this week. ACA Executive Vice President Dr. Billy Powell noted that he wrote his 381st column with this issue and has only one more to go. He wrote his first column in July 1985. With his retirement is set for June 30 of this year, he is looking forward to heading back to his home in Washington County where he will enjoy the company of his many grandchildren.

Beef 101

Today, ACA Assistant Executive Vice President and Beef Checkoff Director Erin Beasley is teaching future chefs about beef from pasture to plate at Auburn University’s state-of-the-art beef cattle teaching facilities! Erin, with the help of veterinarians, cattlemen and meat scientists, will be teaching this group about live animal production as well as how beef carcasses are harvested and fabricated into retail cuts. This is a gold mine of information for chefs who will be preparing the food we all eat in restaurants across the state!

Legislative Session Near End

We are in the short rows of the legislative session, and the General Fund and Education budgets have yet to pass. The gas tax, which would in part fund the re-paving of rural roadways, is hanging on by life support, but the Ag Commission is pleased to note that there aren’t any bills that would have a negative impact the cattle industry lingering behind the scenes.

SLE Rodeo- Coming Back for a 61st Year!

Last week, the Southeastern Livestock Exposition Executive Committee met to discuss final reports on the 2017 SLE Rodeo and livestock week and to make decisions regarding the 2018 show. The committee is excited to announce that the 61st annual SLE Rodeo, along with Frontier Rodeo Company and PRCA Freestyle Bullfighting, will come bucking back to Montgomery March 15-17, 2018. Save the dates now!

AJCA Round-Up Dates and Intern

The ACA is excited to have Logan Strock in our office this summer as he has accepted an internship where he will lead the effort in putting on the 11th annual AJCA Round-Up. Logan is a current AJCA director and a student at Mississippi State University where he is studying agricultural education and plans to graduate in 2019.

The dates for this year’s Fiesta-themed event are July 20-23 at Montgomery’s Garrett Coliseum. Stay tuned as rules and registration information will be made available late May. We can’t wait to see you there!

Facebook Success!

The ACA Facebook page has reached another milestone this week as we broke through to 16,000 followers!! For those non-Facebookers out there, this means that we reach over 16,000 people a day with our positive message about beef and beef cattle production. This year’s goal is 25,000 so help us get there and spread the word to LIKE our page!

Here’s a Few Handy Links You May Enjoy:

• Alabama Cattle Markets
• 2017 Alabama Beef Cattle Facts

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

Who turned on the heat?!

In true Alabama fashion, the threat of a late spring frost has lessened and the heat has turned up during April. This warm, sunny weather has cattlemen hitting the hay fields to get in the first cut of baling season while cattle graze on the beautiful green grass that’s come from a wet and warm few months. 

Your ACA staff is gearing up for the summer months ahead as we prepare for summertime beef promotions and continue educating producers and consumers about our favorite protein, beef. Keep reading to learn more about what the cattle folks in Downtown Montgomery are up to this week. 

Legislative Lookout

It’s been a busy couple of weeks around the ACA on the legislative front. We’ve had big names in the political world, including Twinkle Cavanaugh, Tommy Tuberville, Martha Roby and Luther Strange, by the office for visits or to have a luncheon. In light of the changing of the guard in government, the ongoing legislative session and upcoming elections, it’s important to stay close to our state and national leaders.

On Tuesday, the Ag Coalition met at the ACA to continue monitoring activity in the state legislature then ACA leaders Dr. Billy Powell and Erin Beasley spent this afternoon at the State House meeting with staff and visiting with elected officials. This afternoon, we were pleased to host a luncheon for Sen. Luther Strange as he is in town on his Spring Break. He gave us an update from Washington D.C. and made a few comments on the special election announced for August 15.

Future Communicators Stop By ACA

On Tuesday, the Auburn University Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow stopped by today to visit The MOOseum and to learn more about our association. This is a crop of students at Auburn’s College of Agriculture who are studying under the Agricultural Communication curriculum and will become the marketing, PR, communication and  journalism leaders of the agricultural industry throughout their diverse careers.  After touring the building and meeting the staff, the group had a Q&A session with ACA Director of Social Media and Communications and Agricultural Communication alumna Kayla Greer.

This group isn’t the only that’s stopped by lately. With warm, springtime weather, we’ve been hosting many school and leadership groups who are touring Downtown Montgomery in The MOOseum. It continues to be a popular place! If you’ve got leadership or other extracurricular groups in your county, encourage them to visit The MOOseum so we can showcase the cattle industry in Alabama.

Beef 101: Back at it on Friday

We will have a BEEF 101 on Friday with Wallace State Culinary in Hanceville and McAdory Middle School FACS program.  President Richard Meadows will work with the group on live animal information, and ACA staffers Erin Beasley, Kayla Greer and Kim McBrayer will join the group to help out and answer questions.

BQA Certification Soars in April

During April, the state beef checkoff has supported multiple hands-on BQA workshops at Research and Extension Centers across the state.  We anticipate that close to 200 cattlemen will become BQA certified through this effort, led by Dr. Soren Rodning who is the BQA coordinator for Alabama. Great work to Dr. Rodning and his team as well as the many cattlemen who have come out to learn and get certified!

SLE Executive Meeting

On Friday, the Southeastern Livestock Expo Executive Committee is meeting to review the 2017 SLE Rodeo and Livestock Week many activities and discuss figures relating to attendance and expenditures. This meeting will decide the plans for the 2018 show, so stay tuned for more information!

Spring Board Meeting

Board Members: Please don’t forget that the Spring Board Meeting is set for Tuesday, May 9. Make plans to attend as it will be a great meeting and day spent at the State House meeting elected officials from your districts!

Here’s a Few Handy Links You May Enjoy:

• Alabama Cattle Markets
• 2017 Alabama Beef Cattle Facts

Thanks for reading this week’s post! We’ll be back next week- same time, same place. Until then, we want to remind you that you can stay in touch with us by following us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Have a great week!

This is the time of year where your Checkoff dollars really get put to work. We’re gearing up for summertime beef promotions and all the educational events and social media contests come with it. Just this past week alone, you’re Checkoff dollars have put on a beef cook-off, BQA certification courses and a Beef 101 program. You can learn about these programs and all the other events happening by continuing to read this week’s blog update. 

Membership Update

We are excited to brag this week on all of our “Over the Top” counties! Greene, Clay, Chambers, Houston. St. Claire, Baldwin, Elmore, Henry Cherokee and Dekalb counties have all earned their presidents a red coat for their great work in recruiting members! We look forward to presenting those and acknowledging our county chapters hard work. Thanks to all of our hardworking counties, our membership is looking to be around 9,200 to date!

Don’t forget to save the date for the Spring Board Meeting in Montgomery- May 9. Also, your state leaders are always on the job. They’ll be meeting via conference call today to get a final push for membership and to catch up on all important matters centered around the state association.

Alabama Junior/Senior High School Beef Cook-Off

Saturday was a big day for the Alabama Beef Checkoff as the ACA and ACWA teamed up to host around 30 young and talented Family and Consumer Science students for the 58th annual Alabama Junior/Senior High School Beef Cook-Off at Carver High School in Montgomery. After making their submissions, students enjoyed Q&A sessions about Beef Myths and Careers in the Industry while the judges faced the daunting task of selecting winners for each division. These students truly brought the best of beef in an impressively prepared and plated fashion.

Carol Ann Salter of Baldwin County was awarded the title, “Best of Beef” Overall Winner with her dish, The LA Cheesesteak, which was noted by a chef and contest judge as “restaurant quality.”

Congrats to all our winners from this past weekend’s statewide beef cook-off.
SENIOR NORTH DIVISION
1st Place- Matt Sanders, Blount County
2nd Place- Megan Lovell, Limestone County
3rd Place- Morgan Shyanne, Lauderdale County
SENIOR SOUTH DIVISION
1st Place- Carol Ann Salter, Baldwin County
2nd Place- Aiden Smith, Montgomery County
3rd Place- Cassidy Renfroe, Russell County
JUNIOR NORTH DIVISION
1st Place- Grant Ezekiel, Jefferson County
2nd Place- Victoria Hamilton, Limestone County
3rd Place- Alexandria Driver, Walker County
JUNIOR SOUTH DIVISION
1st Place- Acadia Thomas, Dallas County
2nd Place- Avery Fuller, Shelby County
3rd Place- Braswell McMeans, Baldwin County

Click Here to view the winners’ pictures and to get a copy of their outstanding recipes!

Keeping A Sharp Eye on Politics

As politics heat up across the street from the ACA building with conversations about Gov. Bentley’s resignation, announcements of who has decided to enter the governerial race and reaching the halfway point of the legislative session, your state association is steadily monitoring bills and ongoing conversations to protect your best interests. On Tuesday, the Ag Coalition met in the ACA Building to discuss this week’s political news and welcomed special guest, Rep. Martha Roby, as she visited to hear about the concerns of cattle producers in her district.

Also on the political front, Dr. Billy Powell joined in on a luncheon of association executives with Congressman Gary Palmer on Tuesday where Palmer sought to learn about the concerns and interests of associations in the state.

BQA Certification

More and more producers across the state are becoming BQA certified thanks to your checkoff dollars and the hard work of Dr. Soren Rodning with Auburn University and his team of Extension specialists. We’ve already seen great return at both the Sand Mountain and Black Belt Research and Extension Centers and are looking forward to two programs this week at Gulf Coast and Wiregrass Research and Extension Centers on Thursday and Friday.

It’s not too late to register today for your chance to become BQA certified. Visit bamabeef.org/bqa to learn more about a program near you!

The MOOseum’s Special Guests

This week we are excited to host a special group of youngsters to The MOOseum as the First Family brings a group from their home county. ACA President Richard Meadows will be joining his youngest, Luke, and his fourth grade class from Houston Academy as they tour The MOOseum today. This is a busy time of year in our children’s educational center as fourth graders from across the state are traveling to Montgomery to put their entire year’s worth of Alabama History education to the test by touring Capitol Hill.

We truly have an asset in The MOOseum, and children always enjoy their time learning and playing in an interactive way. They are able to ask questions and experience the life of a cattleman in a fun atmosphere! Thanks, Houston Academy, for stopping by!

Beef 101

April is a big month for Beef 101. This week, on Monday ACA’s Erin Beasley hosted a group of culinary students from the Trenholm State Culinary Arts Program to experience beef from pasture to plate. We appreciate the partnership we have with the Beef Unit and Meat Lab staff Auburn University in organizing these outstanding programs and our state leaders who come out to help give a cattleman’s perspective on things. This week, ACA Vice President Chris Langley and his wife, Elizabeth, did an excellent job in answering questions from the culinary students. Thanks, Chris and Elizabeth!

Throughout April, the checkoff-funded program will host over 200 individuals from culinary students to Extension personnel who all share an interest of learning more about beef.  Cattlemen are encouraged to attend if they are interested.  The remaining dates are April 21 and 26.  Contact Erin if you would like more information or if you would like to attend.

Congrats to Chris and Elizabeth Langley, 2017 Farm of Distinction

Speaking of the Langley Family, we’d like to offer our congrats to them on being named the 2017 Alabama Farmers Federation Farm of Distinction. This honor came with $12,000 in cash and prizes and the responsibility to represent our state in the Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year contest at the Sunbelt Ag Expo in Moultrie, Georgia. Learn More

Jackson County Group at the ACA

Dr. Billy Powell is excited to host a group of outstanding young leaders from northeast Alabama today. Jackson County Leadership will be visiting the building for a tour and to learn more about our association and the impact of the beef cattle industry in Alabama. The group with tour The MOOseum and have a Q&A with Dr. Powell before heading out to visit other associations in the downtown area.

SAVE THE DATES! 11TH ANNUAL AJCA ROUND-UP

Take a break from your summertime siesta to join us in Montgomery for a fiesta! That’s right. The 11th annual AJCA Round-Up will be taking on a “South of the Border” theme at Garrett Coliseum’s livestock barns July 20-23. Stay tuned for registration information. We look forward to seeing you there!

Here’s a Few Handy Links You May Enjoy:

• Alabama Cattle Markets
• 2017 Alabama Beef Cattle Facts

Thanks for reading this week’s post! We’ll be back next week- same time, same place. Until then, we want to remind you that you can stay in touch with us by following us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Have a great week!

It’s hard to believe that our annual convention and the SLE Rodeo have already come and gone for the year. Those events always create quite a bit of chaos around the workplace, but also are exciting ways to kick off a new year. With those events behind us, we are looking forward to all that the spring and summertime bring. In the coming months, we are focused on beef promotion, educating consumers and industry influencers at various courses and demonstrations and the big transition that lies ahead with Dr. Billy Powell’s retirement. We’re also gearing up for summertime youth events and taking on some new projects in the office.

Keep reading to learn more about all that’s happening this week and what lies ahead for the ACA!

NCBA Legislative Conference

Our fearless state leaders are taking on our nation’s capital this week to attend the NCBA Legislative Conference, also known as the #DCBeefMeet. ACA Executive VP Dr. Billy Powell and Assistant EVP Erin Beasley have joined State President Richard Meadows in Washington D.C. to catch up on federal government activity involving the cattle industry and meet with Alabama’s senators and representatives.

Today our leaders will be meeting with Congresswoman Martha Roby, Congressman Robert Aderholt, Congressman Gary Palmer, Congressman Mike Rogers, Congressman Bradley Byrne, Sen. Luther Strange and Sen. Richard Shelby. This has great effects on Alabama’s beef cattle industry!

Membership Reminders

Don’t forget to get those memberships AND checks into the state office or postmarked by this Friday, March 31 to meet our extended “Over the Top” Deadline. Counties that go “Over the Top” earn your president a red coat, and who doesn’t want one of those iconic ACA staples? Check out who’s already in the winner’s circle: Greene, Clay, Chambers, Houston, St Clair, Elmore and Dekalb counties. Great work!!

BQA Registration on BamaBeef.org

Be sure to check out all of the BQA trainings that will be held during April and May at the Research & Extension Centers across the state.  All of these will be hands-on, interactive trainings to achieve BQA certification. Earning your BQA certification has never been easier, so don’t miss out on the opportunity. Visit us online to learn more. Registration is now open on for all sessions.

Questions about certification? Call Erin at (334) 265-1867.

A Busy Month of BEEF 101 Programs

The month of April will be spent educating influencers about beef at Auburn University.  The checkoff-funded program, BEEF 101, will host over 200 individuals from culinary students to Extension personnel who all share an interest of learning more about beef from pasture to plate.  Cattlemen are encouraged to attend if they are interested.  The dates are April 5, 10, 21 and 26.  Contact Erin if you would like more information or if you would like to attend.

Bringing Recipe Videos to Social Media

Who’s seen one of those catchy recipe videos produced by Buzzfeed Tasty? They’re quick, fun and make preparing even the most difficult dishes look like a breeze. Well, your Beef Checkoff here in Alabama is jumping on the recipe video bandwagon. Last week, Checkoff staffers Kayla Greer and Erin Beasley set up shop to film four different recipes perfect for different times of the year including summertime, back to school season, tailgating and the holidays.

This week, Kayla Greer is hanging out behind the computer screen working to produce those videos. Stay tuned for those to post on the ACA’s social media outlets throughout the year!

Wildfire Relief Fund

We would like to remind you to keep these fellow cattle families in your prayers. We would also like to give a shout out to Cullman County cattleman Cody Rasco and his team of volunteers for answering the cry for help out west. Cody worked to gather fencing supplies and organized a team to take the load out west to donate and offer a helping hand. In his Facebook post, Cody said, “We had donations from North Carolina, and all over the Southeast. Words in these situations are hard to come by but your actions have spoken loud and clear. I’m honored and proud to be a small part of taking supplies to those ranchers in Wheeler, TX. We supplied them with 1,100 t posts, 43 wood posts, 40 or 50 rolls of wire, and thousands of clips and insulators.” Great work, Cody. Thank you for your outstanding representation of Alabama cattlemen.

Save the Dates! 11th Annual AJCA Round-Up

Take a break from your summertime siesta to join us in Montgomery for a fiesta! That’s right. The 11th annual AJCA Round-Up will be taking on a “South of the Border” theme at Garrett Coliseum’s livestock barns July 20-23. Stay tuned for registration information. We look forward to seeing you there!

Here’s a Few Handy Links You May Enjoy:

• Alabama Cattle Markets
• 2017 Alabama Beef Cattle Facts

Thanks for reading this week’s post! We’ll be back next week- same time, same place. Until then, we want to remind you that you can stay in touch with us by following us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Have a great week!

Who’s ready to ride?
It’s rodeo season in Montgomery, Alabama, and your Cattlemen’s staffers are wearing their cowboy hats this week as we double as players on the SLE Rodeo team. We are handling last minute details from printing banners, offering media interviews, sponsorships, Junior Beef Expo, designing the program and everything in between. We are also gearing up for meeting our membership goal, Extension forage workshops, BQA trainings, Beef 101s, YCLP Class IV and the many summer beef promotions that your Beef Checkoff funds. 

It’s any exciting and busy time. Keep reading to learn more…

PREPARING FOR SLE RODEO

The members and staff of the Southeastern Livestock Exposition are preparing for the big event headed to Montgomery March 16-18. Staff has kicked off social media, radio, television and outdoor advertisements and has started making on-air appearances at WSFA-12, WBAM 98.9 and WACV 93.1 and WTXT 107.5 so far this week. On Thursday, rodeo clown Trent McFarland and staffer Kayla Greer will be spending the morning at the Montgomery Zoo as the duo attend the mayor’s weekly media briefing with Executive Director Dr. Billy Powell heads over to WAKA to record a tv spot followed by a radio interview at WTXT. SLE Livestock Week events kick off officially on Thursday as more than 230 registered participants compete in the SLE Livestock Judging Contest at the Garrett Coliseum. Jason P’Poole is pleased that for the second year, we’ve seen an increase in participation!

Following Thursday’s high school and collegiate livestock judging contest, rodeo events will begin over the weekend as we welcome the Alabama High School Association Cinch Rodeo and NBHA Barrel Races to Garrett Coliseum grounds. We are thrilled to have support from the Poarch Band of Creek Indians and to welcome Elder Billy Smith to the high school rodeo as he presents $100 scholarships to each of the young competitors.

There’s so much going on, and you can find all the info you need by visiting www.slerodeo.com. Here’s a brief rundown of all you can expect:

• Thursday Night at 7 p.m.- Children 12 and under enter FREE
• Friday Night at 7 p.m.- Family 4-Pack (4 tickets for $40!)
• PRCA Freestyle Bullfighting will take place Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights with bulls from Hurricane Hookers Ranch in Louisiana
• WORLD-CLASS bucking stock from PRCA Top Stock Contractor Frontier Rodeo Company from Freedom, Oklahoma
• Stick Horse Rodeo for the kiddos each night at 5:45 p.m.
• Western Festival on Saturday from 10 a.m. until noon

Call us today to get your tickets! 1-888-2RODEO2

National Anthem Contest Winners

CONGRATS to our SLE Rodeo National Anthem vocalist Sarah Grace Chandler of Titus, Ala. Sarah Grace is 14 years old and has a beautiful voice you can all hear at the Friday night performance of the show. Not only was Sarah Grace’s audition outstanding, we had many!! So many, in fact, that the committee elected to select an entry for each show! We are excited to have Sydni Sikes with her sign language interpretation to perform at Wednesday’s Miracle Rodeo, Ella Langley of Hope Hull perform Thursday night, Sarah Grace Chandler on Friday and Mary Kate McPherson of Faunsdale at the Saturday matinee show.

Each of these outstanding young ladies will help kick off the rodeo in true patriotic fashion and help lead up to welcome Hope Hull’s Charity Bowden at the Saturday night show. Charity is headed to the Miss Alabama stage after performing on Team Miley on NBC’s The Voice- Season 11.

Come support these young ladies and check out their outstanding singing abilities!

Monitoring the Legislative Session

Ag Coalition met on Tuesday to monitor legislation being discusses in the Legislative Session as it moves into passing bills and working on the two budgets. The prison reform bill and the hearing on the impeachment of Gov. Robert Bentley are the two biggest topics in the two chambers this week. Stay tuned for more updates.

Keeping Up With State Leaders

ACA staff will be hosting a conference call with our state officers and regional vice presidents this week to encourage membership and plan meetings for the coming spring months. With the “Over the Top” deadline on the horizon it is an important time for counties to keep recruiting members to help us get to the 12,000 member goal. Remember, you can sign members up online too! We are at 8,600 members with several counties nearing “Over the Top” status. Big congrats to Clay, Greene and Chambers counties on their “Over the Top” status. Great work!

BQA Registration on BamaBeef.org

Be sure to check out all of the BQA trainings that will be held during April and May at the Research & Extension Centers across the state.  All of these will be hands-on, interactive trainings to achieve BQA certification.  Registration is now open on for all sessions.

Questions about certification? Call Erin at (334) 265-1867.

Beef 101’s Lining Up

The month of April will be spent educating influencers about beef at Auburn University.  The checkoff-funded program, BEEF 101, will host over 200 individuals from culinary students to Extension personnel who all share an interest of learning more about beef from pasture to plate.  Cattlemen are encouraged to attend if they are interested.  The dates are April 5, 10, 21, 26.  Contact Erin if you would like more information or if you would like to attend.

Black & White Spring Forward Sale

We look forward to spending time this weekend at the Garrett Coliseum and at ACA President Richard Meadows’ Black & White Spring Forward sale happening at Montgomery Stockyards. You’ll find staff buzzing around the barns at both venues as we meet and mingle with cattle families from across the state!

Thanks for reading this week’s post! We’ll be back next week- same time, same place. Until then, we want to remind you that you can stay in touch with us by following us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Have a great week and don’t forget to purchase your SLE Rodeo tickets! 

Membership Update

On Monday, we sent an email to our Board Members that included very important information. To recap, we sent out the county assignments for each of the 12 regional vice presidents. We also included a membership count and are pleased to be at nearly 8,400 members. Kuddos to Clay County, who has joined Greene County in the ranks of “Over the Top.” Another bit of important information for our Board Members: it’s not too late to earn your red coat. The officers have gotten together and decided to extend the deadline to March 31! Email or call Jessica Kennedy for county membership lists.  Know where you are so you can take advantage of the extension and reach out to those who haven’t renewed!

• State Officers
• RVPs
• Staff
• County Chapters

Certified Angus Beef

ACA Assistant Executive Vice President Erin Beasley is spending time today the Certified Angus Beef Specialist Seminar in Mobile as it features foodservice and retail specialists from around the world.  The conference focuses on education about the product from Pasture to Plate.  By gaining more knowledge about this product, we can improve our education programs with retail and foodservice partners who sell CAB.

AU Faculty Search Continues

On Tuesday, Dr. Billy Powell received updates from Dr. Wayne Greene at Auburn’s College of Agriculture about several open positions that ACA on search committee for. We have high hopes to hire two outstanding Extension Agents in livestock marketing and forages to replace the positions once held by Dr. Walt Prevatt and Dr. Jennifer Johnson. Stayed tuned for information on those hires in the future!

Monitoring the Legislature

The Ag Coalition met on Tuesday to continue monitoring legislative activity. There are very few bills that have been introduced that will impact the agricultural industry. This is great news, but we will continue to monitor this session on your behalf. On Thursday, ACA Executive Vice President and Lobbyist Dr. Billy Powell will be spending time in the State House as he talks to legislators about pending legislation and monitors activity in both the House and Senate Chambers. He’s hoping to gain more insight on the General Fund budget and two other specific items, CAFO and Garrett Coliseum funding, during his time on Capitol Hill.

YCLP Apps Out Now

We’ve got Young Cattlemen’s Leadership Program applications flying in left and right! We are thrilled to meet all who are interested in this program and watch them grow in the years to come. If you want to apply, visit www.bamabeef.org/yclp.

Wrapping Up County Annual Meetings

We attended the Chilton County Annual Meeting on Tuesday night and are proud to wrap up another season of outstanding county meetings. We’re excited to work with new Board members in the year to come and we will see them all on May 9 at the Spring Board Meeting! Save the date!

Preparing for SLE Rodeo

The members and staff of the Southeastern Livestock Exposition are preparing for the big event headed to Montgomery March 16-18. Staff has kicked off social media, radio, television and outdoor advertisements and has started making on-air appearances at WSFA-12, WBAM 98.9 and WACV 93.1 so far this week. We hope to have hometown rodeo clown Trent McFarland joining us on the airwaves soon as Trent is excited to be part of the SLE Rodeo team this year! Events will kick off next week on March 9 with the SLE Livestock Judging Contest at the Garrett Coliseum. On a side note, our equine friends out there may be interested to know that the Alabama Horse Fair starts today at the Garrett Coliseum grounds.

We also have a great contest happening now on our Facebook page! now through Wednesday, March 8, interested vocalists can submit a video of themselves singing the National Anthem for a chance to win the opportunity to kick off the Friday, March 17 show off in true patriotic fashion. Enter Here

There’s so much going on, and you can find all the info you need by visiting www.slerodeo.com. Here’s a brief rundown of all you can expect:

• Thursday Night at 7 p.m.- Children 12 and under enter FREE
• Friday Night at 7 p.m.- Family 4-Pack (4 tickets for $40!)
• PRCA Freestyle Bullfighting will take place Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights with bulls from Hurricane Hookers Ranch in Louisiana
• WORLD-CLASS bucking stock from PRCA Top Stock Contractor Frontier Rodeo Company from Freedom, Oklahoma
• Stick Horse Rodeo for the kiddos each night at 5:45 p.m.
• Western Festival on Saturday from 10 a.m. until noon

Call us today to get your tickets! 1-888-2RODEO2

Thanks for reading this week’s post! We’ll be back next week- same time, same place. Until then, we want to remind you that you can stay in touch with us by following us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Have a great week and don’t forget to purchase your SLE Rodeo tickets! 

Whew! It’s a busy, busy time at the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association. It’s been quite the whirlwind of events and activities, but we are thrilled with the success and the future outlook of our association! We are very proud that last week’s convention hosted over 600 attendees, youth, guests, vendors and industry partners. The 74th annual ACA Convention and Trade Show was a great one, and we appreciate all who came out! We enjoyed seeing each of you, and we particularly enjoyed learning who our new team of state leaders are. For those who haven’t heard yet, here’s the lineup of new state leaders:

ACA President- Richard Meadow, Houston

ACA President-Elect- Jack Batts, Limestone

ACA Vice President- Chris Langley, Chambers

ACA Treasurer- LD Fitzpatrick, Lowndes

New Regional Vice Presidents:

Ashley Catrett, Crenshaw

Jim Jordan, Clay

Sabrina McKinney, Autauga

Brian Smith, Lauderdale

2o17 is sure to be a great year, but we are just worried about this week on today’s post! Keep reading to learn allllllll that’s happening around the ACA this week!

A Watchful Eye on the Legislative Session

Ag Coalition met Tuesday morning to go over 400-500 bills that have already been introduced. the legislative process is pretty slow and committee meetings are taking place. No consensus made on big topics such a gas tax, prison reform and redistricting. There is work being done on both the Education Budget and the General Fund. The General Fund budget is projected to look tight again with no general consensus to raise revenue. On another note, Gov. Bentley appointed a special task force yesterday to look into ways to remove the sales tax on food.

All in all, we are feeling good about this session. Nothing of substance that could either positively or negatively affect the agricultural industry has been introduced, and there’s no projection for it.

SLE Rodeo and 2017 Media Luncheon

The members of the Southeastern Livestock Exposition met at the building on Tuesday for rodeo committee updates and to host Montgomery-area media in for a steak luncheon. SLE President Walter Crim, color commentator and Frontier Rodeo Company General Manager Don Gay and 2017 SLE Rodeo entertainer Trent McFarland informed the media about what to expect at this year’s show!

There’s so much going on, and you can find all the info you need by visiting www.slerodeo.com. Targeted social media advertising, tv spots, radio interviews and billboards will be hitting the marketing channels soon! Here’s a brief rundown of all you can expect:

• Thursday Night at 7 p.m.- Children 12 and under enter FREE
• Friday Night at 7 p.m.- Family 4-Pack (4 tickets for $40!)
• PRCA Freestyle Bullfighting will take place Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights with bulls from Hurrican Hookers Ranch in Louisiana
• WORLD-CLASS bucking stock from PRCA Top Stock Contractor Frontier Rodeo Company from Freedom, Oklahoma
• Stick Horse Rodeo for the kiddos each night at 5:45 p.m.
• Western Festival on Saturday from 10 a.m. until noon

Call us today to get your tickets! 1-888-2RODEO2

Amping Up SLE Security

Following the media luncheon, SLE staff had a meeting with the Garrett Coliseum staff to discuss new policies on security. This year, rodeo-goers can expect heavier security at the gates of the Coliseum. This will include bag searches, scans and absolutely no guns or alcohol allowed. To strengthen the security front, we are negotiating with a firm out of Birmingham to supply professional security services to this year’s show. This group monitors University of Alabama and Auburn University football games and BJCC events in Birmingham.

So Long, Capital City Stampede

We are working to close the books on the 74th annual ACA Convention and Trade Show. While registration and monies are matched and counted, scholarship and new officer press releases are being sent across the state to hometown newspapers, and the March issue of the Alabama Cattleman magazine is in its final stages of production. Organizing and captioning all those convention photos takes some time, but you’ll get to reminisce come March when that magazine painted with the First Family’s faces hits your mailbox.

TV Broadcaster of the Year- Charlie Platt

ACA President Richard Meadows and Past President Max Bozeman will shining their faces on the Charlie Platt show on Thursday in Dothan to present him with “TV Broadcaster of the Year” plaque he was awarded at this year’s convention. Charlie does an outstanding job of helping us promote beef during October Beef Month and is a big fan of Alabama’s beef cattle industry.

Spring Board Meeting

Hey, speaking of President Richards Meadows, he has set the Spring Board Meeting Tuesday, May 9. Board members, make plans to attend as it will be a great meeting with plans to attend the legislature!

The Search for an Associate Dean of Instruction

ACA Assistant Executive Vice President Erin Beasley is serving on the search committee for Associate Dean of Instruction for the College of Agriculture at Auburn University.  We are interviewing three outstanding candidates over the next week.  This position serves as a key to student recruitment and innovation of teaching within the college.  It requires someone who is forward-thinking and has the commitment to produce a highly marketable student out of the college.

Talking Beef in Birmingham

Next week, the Beef Checkoff will sponsor Holley Grainger to speak at the Alabama Dietetic Association annual meeting in Birmingham.  Holley is a registered dietitian and has a large footprint on social media promoting healthy lifestyles and cooking techniques.  She is a Birmingham native and will be a highlight of the program for ALDA this year.

Thanks for reading this week’s post! We’ll be back next week- same time, same place. Until then, we want to remind you that you can stay in touch with us by following us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Have a great week and don’t forget to purchase your SLE Rodeo tickets!