ACA Convention Registration Now Online

Each year, hundreds of cattlemen from around Alabama converge on the ACA Convention and Trade Show. This year, the event will return to the Renaissance Hotel & Convention Center in downtown Montgomery February 11-12. This is the 68th year for the convention and a great line up of speakers and activities is in store for attendees.

This year, you can even register online under the Events/Registration tab on the new bamabeef.org. For more information and to register today, click here.

Death Tax Deal is Good News for Cattlemen

Yesterday, President Barack Obama reached agreement with Republican leaders in Congress to extend a number of Bush-era tax cuts. As part of this agreement, the estate tax rate would be set at 35% for two years and would apply only to estates over $5 million. Under current law, the estate tax has lapsed for 2010 and is set to spring next year to 55%.

Groups representing America's farming and ranching families supported measures introduced by Senators Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and Jon Kyl (R-AZ) that would drop the Death Tax rate to 35% with a $5 million estate value minimum.

This agreement to extend these rate levels for 2 years is good news for cattlemen and may prove a good anchor point to continue talks for full exemptions from the Death Tax for American farmers and ranchers.

To read more about the agreement reached Monday, check out this story in The Wall Street Journal.

The MOOseum - Now Easier to Find

Thanks to a series of signs recently erected by the City of Montgomery, the Alabama Cattlemen's Association building and The MOOseum are now easier to find when navigating the capital city's downtown streets.

Using the new bamabeef.org, you can take a virtual tour of The MOOseum online by clicking here.

To zoom in on the Alabama Cattlemen's Association building using Google Maps, just click here.

McDonald's E-Mail Rumor Surfaces Again

Every year or so, we seem to see the same e-mail pop up in our inbox calling for a boycott of McDonald's because of where their beef comes from. Each time, we reply that this is a false e-mail rumor that's achieved "viral" status. In fact, the beef checkoff program has developed talking points which have been used by several industry news outlets to address the rumor. For one such example, click here.

New Beef Christmas Ornament

Need a new way to "beef up" your Christmas tree? Check out the newest addition to The MOOseum gift shop. Buy online through bamabeef.org or visit The Mooseum today!

How Important are Beef Exports?

The short answer, very important.

Fiscal 2011 agricultural exports are forecast at a record $126.5 billion, up $13.5 billion from the August forecast and $17.8 billion above final 2010 exports. Beef exports are forecast at $3.7 billion, up $500 million from last year. To read more from Drovers, click here.

Don't Forget Upcoming Scholarship Deadline: December 3rd

Each year, the Alabama Cattlemen's Foundation awards thousands of dollars in scholarships to the sons and daughters of Alabama's livestock industry. These young people represent some of the best and brightest our state has to offer.

The success stories of what many of these scholarship winners have gone on to achieve continue to impress us. One such story involved a then high school senior in 2006 from Pickens Academy who's hometown is Reform, AL. Wyatt Smith's parents are both involved in their cattlemen's and cattlewomen's associations at the local, state, and national level and their spirit of volunteerism and hard work no doubt was passed on to their eldest son.

Here is Wyatt Smith in present day with his submission to interview President George W. Bush about his memoir, Decision Points. Congratulations to Wyatt for winning the opportunity to meet with the former president during their upcoming interview in Dallas, TX.



To download a copy of any of the scholarship applications available through the Alabama Cattlemen's Foundation and begin writing your own success story as you pursue your education, just click here.

Will Congress act on Estate Tax Reform During Lame-Duck Session?

The American Farm Bureau Federation; the American Soybean Association; the National Association of Wheat Growers; the National Cattlemen's Beef Association; the National Corn Growers Association; the National Cotton Council; the National Farmers Union; the National Milk Producers Federation; the National Pork Producers Council; and the Public Lands Council will host a press conference Nov. 30, 2010, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., at 1:00 p.m. EST to urge Congress to act on estate tax reform during the lame-duck session.

When: Nov. 30, 2010, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. EASTERN
Where: National Press Club – Zenger Room
Watch Live: Video will be streamed live to Beltway Beef, NCBA’s blog, at www.beltwaybeef.com  

Beef Bandz Now Available

Looking for another way to show folks you love beef and the cattle industry? Well then, these new Beef Bandz may just be what you're looking for.

Order yours today from the Online Store on Bamabeef.org or pick some up the next time you visit The MOOseum.

Beef makes Thanksgiving better

Looking for something to add some new flavor to your Thanksgiving Day meal? Look no further; beef has you covered. Check out 3 great recipes below that feature lean cuts of great tasting beef. Even better, each recipe serves 6 or more hungry Thanksgiving Day visitors.

Pepper Herb-Crusted Beef Tenderloin

Chili-Crusted Tri-Tip Roast

Garlic-Herb Crusted Beef Roast

For more great beef recipes that are sure to please your guests this Thanksgiving, visit www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com

Taking time to Honor our Veterans

Today, November 11th, is celebrated as Veteran's Day. Please take time today to thank a veteran for their service. As well, remember that these brave men and women deserve our respect and appreciation each day of the year.

Veterans Day Facts

• In 1954, President Eisenhower officially changed the name of the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day.
• In 1968, the Uniform Holidays Bill was passed by Congress, which moved the celebration of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. The law went into effect in 1971, but in 1975 President Ford returned Veterans Day to November 11, due to the important historical significance of the date.
• Britain, France, Australia and Canada also commemorate the veterans of World Wars I and II on or near November 11th: Canada has Remembrance Day, while Britain has Remembrance Sunday (the second Sunday of November). In Europe, Britain and the Commonwealth countries it is common to observe two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. every November 11.

Veterans Facts

• 9.2 million veterans are over the age of 65.
• 1.9 million veterans are under the age of 35.
• 1.8 million veterans are women.
• 7.8 million veterans served during the Vietnam War era (1964-1975), which represents 33% of all living veterans.
• 5.2 million veterans served during the Gulf War (representing service from Aug. 2, 1990, to present).
• 2.6 million veterans served during World War II (1941-1945).
• 2.8 million veterans served during the Korean War (1950-1953).
• 6 million veterans served in peacetime.
• As of 2008, 2.9 million veterans received compensation for service-connected disabilities.
• 5 states have more than 1 million veterans in among their population: California (2.1 million), Florida (1.7 million), Texas (1.7 million), New York (1 million) and Pennsylvania (1 million).
• The VA health care system had 54 hospitals in 1930, since then it has expanded to include 171 medical centers; more than 350 outpatient, community, and outreach clinics; 126 nursing home care units; and 35 live-in care facilities for injured or disabled vets.

ACA's #1 County Chapter in 2010

Without a doubt, the success the Alabama Cattlemen's Association has enjoyed through the years is due in large part to the hard work of volunteer leaders at the county level.

We recently sat down with one such individual; Daveen Stanford of Elkmont, AL. Not only is she a Lifetime Director of the Alabama Cattlemen's Association, she's also the County Secretary of the Limestone County Cattlemen's Association. If you want to hear what a dedicated, passionate, energetic volunteer leader sounds like, just click "play" on the audio player below:

Producer Profile: Donna Jo Curtis of Athens, AL

This producer profile installment travels to the far north end of Alabama, only a few miles south of the Tennessee border, to the small Thach community and the home of ACA Vice President Donna Jo Curtis. Not only respected as a volunteer and leader in her community, she also has earned the admiration of her fellow cattlemen as a model of working hard and doing things right.

We hope you enjoy this opportunity to get to know ACA's Vice President, Donna Jo Curtis.

Beef on a Budget

For consumers today, it's our job as food producers to deliver a great tasting wholesome product that also delivers value for their dollar. Luckily, beef fits that bill.

Check out the video below to learn from Chef Dave Zino how to save money with beef in 2 different ways, 1.) buying in bulk and slicing steaks at home and 2.) grilling extra steaks to create different meals with leftovers.

Online Videos on BQA Website

Many cattlemen, not only in Alabama, have completed training programs through the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program funded by the $1 beef checkoff. Why? Well, because isn't it in our best interest to keep our customers happy? Of course it is!

That's exactly what the BQA program is about; learning what we can do as cattlemen to ensure hungry beef consumers are getting consistent, wholesome, and healthy beef.

Thousands of cattlemen here in Alabama are veterans of BQA training and certification events. Now, we all have access to this educational message through the videos hosted on the BQA website, find them by clicking here.

If you're interested in BQA education, please contact your state BQA coordinator. Not sure who that person is? No problem, find them by clicking here.

Let Folk's Know You're "Riding for the Brand"

Recently, ACA completed work on a Strategic Plan that sets the course of the association for the next several years. The plan was developed by a group of volunteer leaders, the Strategic Plan Task Force, who's mission it was to grow the influence of the association and also plan for its long-term stability.

One of these members of the Strategic Plan Task Force, Charles Kelly of Talladega County, was adamant during discussions that county leaders, whether they're officers or not, have the ability to drive participation and excitement in the association. Charles, you hit the nail on the head.

Check out the video below to see an example of how we're all capable of doing just that.

To talk with Charles (and find out how many takes this video took), visit him by clicking here.

Fair Season is in Full Swing in Alabama

Early Fall marks "Fair Season" in Alabama. Over the last few weeks, county fairs have drawn in crowds all over Alabama.

As an industry, this time provides provides us an opportunity to interact one-on-one with fairgoers and talk about what it is to play the role of steward to our animals and our land.

As parents, volunteer leaders, and supporters of youth livestock programs, this is a time to celebrate the outstanding young men and women participating in the junior shows.

This week, beef cattle will be on display at the Alabama National Fair. Open Brahman, Charolais, Angus, and Hereford shows are scheduled for today and tomorrow. Saturday will host the Junior show starting off with Showmanship then moving on to the Heifer Show and followed up by the Steer Show.

If you're going to be in or around Montgomery this weekend, please stop by and check out this great event. It's sure to give you a sense of optimism about the future of the cattle industry based on the great set of junior cattlemen involved.

For more information on the Alabama National Fair and a complete schedule of livestock events, please click here.

Explaining Concerns Over Proposed GIPSA Rule

For the last several months, cattlemen have heard lots of discussion about the proposed GIPSA rule on competition and how it will affect the beef industry.

Below is a short video of Colin Woodall, Executive Director of Legislative Affairs for NCBA, explaining some concerns many cattlemen have with the rule.

Producer Profile: Mitch Smith of Holly Pond, AL

This installment of Producer Profiles travels just a few miles north of downtown Holly Pond to visit Dr. Mitch Smith, D.V.M. and his family.

Dr. Smith not only works with cattle nearly every day in his veterinary practice but comes home to see them grazing behind his house each night as well. In fact, those animals at home belong to his son and should help put him through college in a few years.

We hope you enjoy this latest highlight of another cattleman in Alabama who has truly made the cattle business, a family business.

America's Original Environmentalists

Without a doubt, those who care most about the health and vitality of their natural resources are the men and women whose livelihood depends on nature's bounty. This truth gives cattlemen the title of "America's Original Environmentalists".

Now, the Alabama Cattlemen's Association is working together with leaders from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and the Alabama Natural Resources Conservation Service to create the Alabama Environmental Stewards Program to recognize and award cattlemen who are taking diligent steps to conserve and protect their natural resources. Nominations for the program will start at the county level and move on to the district and state level for recognition and awards.

If you or someone you know is interested in participating in this new program, please contact ACES Coordinator of Environmental Stewardship in Animal Agriculture Dr. Frank Owsley at 334-844-1505 or OWSLEWF@auburn.edu.

Fuel for the Finish

"Fuel for the Finish." That's a tag line the beef industry is using to tell consumers about the benefits of lean beef.

On Saturday October 2nd, however, this tag line took on a literal meaning during the 2nd Annual Montgomery Half Marathon. Of around 1,140 runners registered for the 13.1 mile event, 1,063 completed the race. Those that did were no doubt glad to see what awaited them as they climbed the last hill on the course running north on Bainbridge Street. There, at the marker for mile 11 was the Alabama Cattlemen's Association building, a water station, and a hot grill serving everyone's favorite protein boost: BEEF!

Congratulations to all the runners! To see a complete list of finishers from the event, please click here.

Pictured above is Half Marathon winner Daniel Ellis who finished with a time of 1:08:40.

Where's Your Beef Tag?

Of course it's on the front of your car or truck, but  where is that? Maybe its in front of your favorite steak house, on vacation, at a tailgate party, or somewhere else. Wherever it is, good for you!

Now, we're asking you to take a picture of yourself and your beef tag to post on the wall of the Alabama Cattlemen's Association's Facebook page. Go ahead, snap away and post them yourselves. Let's show everyone how much we love BEEF in Alabama!

To visit the ACA's home on Facebook, click here.

Producer Profile: Sam Pinyan of Holly Pond, AL

This installment of Producer Profiles goes to Cullman County to highlight Sam Pinyan and his family in Holly Pond.

The Pinyans operate a multi-generation farm focusing on cow-calf production, poultry, stockers, and row crops. Just as they work together, they play together as well; travelling around the country participating in junior livestock shows.

We hope you enjoy this opportunity to get to know another cattleman in Alabama who works every day to provide high quality beef for you and your family.

The Interactive Meat Case

Imagine being able to go to the grocery store, pick up a package of beef from the meat case, and immediately know more about it. Image being able to know how to prepare it, how to cook it, how to serve it. Imagine too being able to immediately see a list of recipes highlighting the very piece of beef in your hand.

Well, imagine no more. This experience is now a reality thanks to the Interactive Meat Case featured on BeefitsWhatsforDinner.com.

A New Look for Bamabeef.org

There's big news to share. After months of work drafting, editing, and designing, the renovation of Bamabeef.org is complete and now published for all to see.

This project was a direct response to a directive from association leaders to make the organization's flagship online platform more interactive, intuitive, and attractive. In short, this is an online facelift well deserved by one of the nation's largest and most active state cattlemen's associations.

We hope you're able to navigate and use the new website with ease and that you make use of the functionality of being able to pay online for membership, merchandise, and more.

Thanks to Erica, Steve, and the rest of the team at EDJE Technologies for their hard work on the site. Your help in making our vision a reality is greatly appreciated. To learn more about the impressive work done by the EDJE team, visit them by clicking here.

 

"It ain't braggin' if you can do it" - Dizzy Dean

Since 1994, the Cullman County Cattlemen's Association has served more than 22 tons of ribeye steaks; 22.175 to be exact. That's the running total of a bi-annual steak sandwich sale in which members of the county's cattlemen's association cook and sell sandwiches with the primary purpose to promote beef and encourage hungry consumers to eat more of it.

The head wrangler and chief historian of this effort is Edwin Calvert of Cullman. Along with a small army of volunteers, this promotion effort grew from two small grills working off the back of two pick-up trucks in September of 1994 to a well-oiled machine churning out demand-building meals over an open charcoal fire.

Their first stab at the 2-day steak sandwich sale saw 1800 steaks leave the grill to be devoured by eager patrons. The most recent event, held the weekend of September 4th, required 5,192 steaks to get the job done. Since 2005, the cooking team averages 359 steaks per hour on Fridays and 333 steaks per hour on Saturdays. In total, they've used 132,619 steaks for these sandwich sales and when you factor in their annual meetings since '94, the cattlemen in Cullman County have used over thirty and a half tons of ribeye steaks.

No, it's not bragging in Cullman County. Our hat goes off to Edwin Calvert and the hard working volunteers from the Cullman County Cattlemen's Association and the Cullman County Cattle Women's Association.

A Hometown Favorite

As for those of us sitting in the crowd during the opening ceremony, we could hear the difference as the contestants were introduced. California, Texas, Mississippi, and on down the list went Kyle Shobe as he called out the hometowns of the auctioneers competing in the first qualifying contest for the title of 2011 World Livestock Auctioneer Champion. Each one tipped or waved his hat as he walked the half moon across the auction ring at the Montgomery Stockyards on September 13th.

Then came one auctioneer who drew more applause than any other. His starched red shirt contrasting against a necktie of spurs and lariats, his glossy black boots and his pressed palm leaf hat; this one was a hometown favorite. With a quick paced step and a toothy grin to the grandstand, Billy Younkin tipped his hat before donning his game face.

That was the start of the competition for a man from the town of Cecil who chants, rattles, and eyes bids while selling cattle each week here in Alabama.

Congratulations to Billy on your accomplishment. You worked your way through a talented field of 29 auctioneers to be named runner-up Champion of the day's contest and earned a chance to move on to compete next June in South Carolina at the 48th World Livestock Auctioneer Championship.

To learn more about this event, please visit the Livestock Marketing Association's website by clicking here.

To all the auctioneers who participated in the contest in Montgomery, congratulations and thanks for visiting the Alabama Cattlemen's Association building and The MOOseum while you were in town.

Producer Profile: Johnny Morrow of Tuscaloosa, AL

Too often, we take good leaders for granted. When this happens, we miss the opportunity to really get to know these people and learn from them.

One man who's certainly gained the respect of his fellow cattlemen as a leader is Johnny Morrow of Tuscaloosa County. His farm, actually located in Greene County, is known as a source of high quality females to replacement heifer buyers in this part of the world. As well, feeder calf buyers around the country are quickly learning to associate the Morrow Farms name with high performing, profitable cattle.

Johnny too has gained a positive reputation by simultaneously serving as president of the Alabama Beef Cattle Improvement Association, president of the Tuscaloosa County Cattlemen's Association, and as a Regional Vice President of the Alabama Cattlemen's Association.

Need help paying for college?

If you know someone who could use some help paying for college, keep reading.

Each year, the children and grandchildren of ACA members are eligible for more than $20,000 in scholarships awarded through the Alabama Cattlemen's Foundation. Most of these scholarships are funded through the sale of the "Cowboy Tag" you've likely seen on the back of cars and trucks on the highway here in Alabama.

Each time someone goes to their local tag office to renew their license plate, they have the option to get a "Cowboy Tag" instead of the standard Alabama plate.Of the $50 that you pay to get the "Cowboy Tag", about forty five dollars comes to the Alabama Cattlemen's Foundation and is used to fund these scholarships and other educational programs.

Please pay careful attention to each and every scholarship offered and be sure to send in an application for each one that may apply to you. Each scholarship has its own criteria and no one person is eligible for each scholarship.

These scholarships will be awarded at the 2011 ACA Convention & Trade Show to be held February 11-12 at the Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center located in the renovated downtown district of Montgomery.

For more information on these scholarships, please click here. Remember, applications are due to the ACA office on December 3, 2010.

Producer Profile: Jimmy Sealy of Uniontown, AL

There are a lot of good stories to tell within the beef industry in Alabama. Stories of yesteryear and bigger than life personalities. Stories of high-sellers, test-winners, and national awards. If a few don't pop into your mind immediately, you probably ought to try spending more time with folks who've been around a while; it'll be well worth your time.

Too often, the stories that go untold are the ones right in front of us. These are the tales of people we know who're working hard day in and day out to make this industry better; people that pull together as a family and stick it out as the cattle market dives and pitches through highs and lows.

In this installment of Producer Profiles, we take a short minute to look at the family behind Alabama Livestock Auction in Uniontown, AL. This is one of 24 stockyards in the state, and like the rest, the job of hosting an auction week after week isn't an easy one. As you'll see though, the Sealy family embraces this way of life.



To learn more about Alabama Livestock Auction, you can visit their website by clicking here.

A different kind of cowboy contest

True, cowboys are known for flexing their muscles and proving their skills. Any number of rodeo events come to mind at this thought.


However, visitors to Montgomery, AL on September 13th will see a different type of cowboy contest, one which cattlemen should find particularly interesting.

Beginning with the opening ceremony to start at 12:30 p.m., the Montgomery Stockyards, LLC will host a Quarterfinal for the World Livestock Auctioneer Championship. Last year's World Champion Auctioneer, Kyle Shobe of Lewiston, MT, will serve as the MC of the contest.


This is a great opportunity to showcase Alabama to the rest of the country as this event will draw contestants and onlookers from far beyond the state's borders. We hope you're able to attend as the crew from MSY will also be hosting a customer appreciation day on this date.


For more on the World Livestock Auctioneer Championship Quarterfinal, please click here.

To visit Montgomery Stockyards, LLC and their new website, click here.

Learning to tell our own story

One thing you can say about being involved in the cattle business is that you never stop learning. Whether its new trends in production technologies or just a better way to fix fence, there's always something new to learn.

This said, maybe one thing we should all study up on is how to answer consumers questions about our industry. Let's face it, if less than 2% of our country's population is involved in production agriculture then the rest of the 98% probably has a few questions. Isn't it in our own best interest to be able to give them straight answers they can depend on?

One of the best resources provided by beef checkoff dollars are talking points on a variety of issues that come up every day. When a member of the media calls here to the ACA office, these talking points are an integral part of our play book for delivering fact-based comments.

 

Recently, Drovers Journal released an insert of Beef Industry Talking Points drawing upon information gathered using checkoff dollars. Our hat goes off to Drovers for compiling this making it available.

To read the all 13 pages of the document covering Communication, Food Safety, Hormones, Antibiotics, Factory Farms, Environment, Types of Beef, Nutrition, and Animal Welfare, please check out the link below:

Beef Industry Talking Points from Drovers Journal

Shipping Out for Afghanistan

Ask anyone who works in and around the beef industry, not only in Alabama, and find out what the best part of their job is. Likely, they'll say the people. The reason for this is because the folks involved in the beef industry/cattle business/farming/ranching are usually cut from a different cloth. They're a hard working bunch who know how to persevere and can find a silver lining in just about any situation. Take for example a cattlemen friend who, during the the drought this area experienced a couple of years ago, made a point to mention how mud hadn't really been a problem lately.

To this group of folks, an occasional pat on the back is certainly due. Part of the mission of the Bama Beef blog is to highlight these folks and tell their stories.

One such person who'll have the spotlight shined in his direction today is Dr. Terry Slaten of Cullman, AL. Up until last week, Dr. Slaten served as the Associate State Veterinarian for the state of Alabama and before that a large animal veterinarian in Cullman County. He is a past-president of the Cullman County Cattlemen's Association and former Regional Vice President of the Alabama Cattlemen's Association. In fact, during Dr. Slaten's tenure as CCCA president, the county's chapter membership totalled right around 800 members.

Now, Dr. Slaten is taking on a new challenge and shipping out to Kabul, Afghanistan as part of the U.S. Army Veterinary Service. His responsiblities will include overseeing military base food inspection operations as well caring for military service animals being employed in the war on terror.

We wish you luck Dr. Slaten, and a safe and speedy return.

Producer Profile: Ryan Solomon of Headland, AL

More and more, the discussion surrounding our nation's food supply is focusing on the source of food products. Rightly so, consumers are taking an interest and asking "where does my food come from?"

While some groups have used this opportunity to scare consumers into thinking that food is produced in big corporate factories, the true story behind where your food comes from actually carries a lot less sensationalism.

The fact is 98% of the beef farms and ranches in this country are family-owned; many of which are located right here in Alabama.

In the first of what we hope becomes a regular series here on the Bama Beef blog, we'd like to highlight one such beef producer and member of the Alabama Cattlemen's Association. We hope you enjoy this snapshot of a real cattleman in Alabama and that it helps you answer the question, "where does my food come from?"

Wrapping Up the AJCA Round-Up

A couple of weeks ago, on what has to have been one of the hottest weekends of the year, more than 150 families converged on the Garrett Coliseum grounds for the 4th Annual AJCA Round-Up. Despite temperatures creeping toward 100 and humidity hovering right around 75, folks actually had a good time.

Scratch that; we had a great time.Yes, it was hot, but the kids and parents who participated in the 12 different contests and events had a blast. Today, we've even got the pictures to prove it.

To all the volunteers and sponsors who pitched in their time and money, we say a big THANK YOU. To Ryan Clark and the rest of the AJCA Board of Directors who spent 5 days in Montgomery serving as the staff of the AJCA Round-Up, we say a big THANK YOU. Last but not least, to all the youth and parents who chose to come and spend the weekend with us, we can't say "thank you" enough. We hope you had fun, we hope you learned something, and we hope to see you back next year.

Click here for complete results and pictures from the 2010 AJCA Round-Up.

A couple of oldies but goodies

Over the years, the Alabama Cattlemen's Association has been involved in some pretty interesting projects revolving around promoting beef. Whether it was putting the first "Beef Wagon" out on the highways in the mid 60's or posing for pictures in victory lane at Talladega Super Speedway some 40 years later with a replica of that beef wagon, there certainly have been some memorable moments.

Recently, as we try to often do, several ACA staffers were cleaning and organizing in and around the ACA headquarters building when we ran across two original 45 rpm vinyl records. Not having a phonograph on hand, we were able to take the two records to a local sound studio in Montgomery and have them converted over to CDs so we could listen to them. Never a group to settle, we converted them one more time to MP3 format so that we could share them with you here.

These songs date back to approximately the Fall of 1965 and were recorded by local artist Jack Turner. E. Ham Wilson, ACA's first Executive Secretary, often asked Jack to perform at ACA events. Louise Wilson teamed up with several collaborators from within the ACA family to write the script for these and other songs over the years.

Enjoy:


"Beef Time"




"We're Eating More Beef Tonight"

A tribute to our friend Ed Whatley

Just about everybody who's been involved with the Alabama Cattlemen's Association over the last 40 years has gotten to know Ed Whatley. Starting in 1965 as the driver of the original "Beef Wagon", Ed's career with the Alabama Cattlemen's Association drew to a close last week.

Except for five years when he left to run a steakhouse and then a family-owned meat business, Ed has largely been the face of beef promotion in Alabama since '65. For all the people he's helped, mentored, and cooked for over the years, he has a great many friendships to carry with him into retirement.

Don't worry though, Ed will remain a part of the ACA family for years to come whether its pitching in during the ACA convention or the SLE rodeo. You may even see him around the state as he gets rolling with his custom catering business and his "Cattlemen's Steak Shake" seasoning.

Below is a short video shown at Ed's recent retirement party.



In case you're counting, this officially makes 3 posts in our opening day of the Bama Beef Blog. While we can't promise that type of per-day volume in the future, we do look forward to adding regular content of interest to this blog.

Have you visited The MOOseum?

If you haven't visited the ACA headquarters building in historic downtown Montgomery, you're missing a real treat. Not only is it one of the nicest cattlemen's association facilities in the country, but it also houses a pretty special museum on its first floor.

The MOOseum is something you have to see to believe. We hope this short video on the history of The MOOseum encourages you to visit:




Please call Sarah Gilliland to schedule group tours - 334-265-1867.