What's Going On Wednesday: March 30, 2016

As we leave the Convention and SLE Rodeo is our rear view mirror for 2016, we are gearing up a for a busy next couple of months! The MOOseum, checkoff and legislative fronts are looking busy as we begin heading into April and May. We stayed busy through the "winter," as our cattlemen across the state did with feeding and calving seasons, but it's time for beef promotion in Alabama. Keep reading to learn what's going on around the ACA this week!

Checkoff Corner

Busy April Full of Beef: 101

We would like to invite you to join us at Auburn University for the checkoff funded program, BEEF 101. Next month, we will hold 4 of these programs with various influencer groups across the state to learn about beef from “Pasture to Plate”. Your role in this program is to interact with participants who are “non-cattle” folks so that they leave the program with a bright outlook on our industry.

Here are the dates and groups. We have 5 seats at each program

available at first come first serve basis. RSVP to Erin if you can attend.

• April 13th- Moody HS and Lawson State Culinary School
• April 19th- Faulkner State Culinary, Wood Fruitticher Foodservice Sales Team Leadership
• April 25th- Trenholm State Culinary
• April 29th- Jeff State Culinary, McAdory Middle School culinary students, American Culinary Federation chefs

Beef Cookoff Weekend Ahead

The Alabama Jr. and Sr. High School Beef Cookoff will take place this Saturday at Carver High School in Montgomery. Thirty-eight students from 29 counties will participate in the state contest this year to show off their coveted beef dish. During the cookoff, students will learn about beef by participating in an educational program discussing beef cuts and careers in the food industry. Stay tuned for an update next week of event winners and highlights!

Bring It On: Bama's Best Beef

We've got an exciting, new spring beef promotion kicking off Monday, April 4 that highlights Alabama's unique beef dishes. Using the power of social media to drive the contest and by promoting it to Alabama's restaurants and chefs, we hope to receive nominations of those not-so-average beef dishes made and served right here in Alabama. We're not looking for your average burger or ribeye. Nope, we got our eyes set on beef tar-tar, beef wellington and all those other unconventional, yet delicious, beef dishes! 

After the nomination round, the contest committee will narrow it down to four top finalists who will then go head-to-head on social media in a photo contest.

Stay tuned for that contest and send us your submissions starting next week! 

Sysco Promotion Winners

Sysco Foodservice sales promotion kicks the year off strong for beef sales: The sales team at Sysco Calera set out to up their beef sales from January 18-March 17th. As a result, the team posted a 72,000 lb. increase in beef tonnage compared to this time last year. The top sellers were awarded Yeti coolers, funded through the beef checkoff. These promotions produce a fantastic return on investment for your checkoff dollars. Pictured are the winners from the promotion- Todd Johnston, Frank Odell, Andy Slaten, Nat Weis and Craig Smitherman. 

YCLP Class III

County Presidents, applications are out now for the Young Cattlemen's Leadership Program- Class III. Send us your nominations asap as the first meeting will be held May 11 in Montgomery. We look forward to another great year with Alabama's young cattle producers. Get the application. 

Membership

We are at 10,520 members out of our 12000 member goal. Get out and get recruiting; not only will it help the state association, but it could win you some awesome prizes. We have had 16 counties go "Over the Top." Just in case you need some incentive to get out and recruit, check out these prizes:

• 5 new members – ACA cap and knife
• 15 new members – ACA shirt
• 25 new members – ACA vest
• 35 new members – ACA Red/Black jacket
• 50 new members - $250

Top Hand Club sponsored by Alabama Ag Credit and Alabama Farm Credit

Just in case you need some more incentive in your recruiting efforts, let your non-renewed friends and neighbors know this! The April Alabama Cattleman magazine is the LAST magazine you'll get if you do not renew by April 15, and if you renew now online, you'll get a package in the mail from us with some nifty ACA gadgets and gizmos such as a hat, iWallet and other goodies. Don't miss out- renew today! 

Also, don't forget our John Deere Gator drawing sponsored by John Deere, SunSouth, Tri-Green Equipment, Snead Ag. For every new member you recruit, your name and the new members names go in the drawing. ACA members also have the opportunity to purchase more chances to win by calling ACA at 334-265-1867.

YCLP and BQA Meetings 

Dr. Billy Powell, Erin Beasley and Kayla Greer had a successful meeting this morning with Auburn University Dept. of Animal Sciences' Dr. Wayne Greene, Dr. Don Mulvaney and Dr. Soren Rodning to make way to enhance the YCLP and Alabama BQA programs. The group also discussed ways of better implementing the Alabama Beef Cattle Strategic Plan. 

If you're not BQA-certified, become certified today for FREE thanks to Boehringer Ingelheim. Also, be on the look out for upcoming cattle meetings in the state that will offer you the chance to become BQA certified. 

Ag Awareness Day at Auburn 

Pending the weather tomorrow, ACA staffer Kayla Greer will be taking to her alma mater to help the College of Agriculture (COA) students with their "Ag Awareness Day" on campus as part of Ag Week 2016. The COA students will be taking over Haley Concourse on Auburn's campus and fill it with agriculture-related games, booths and equipment to expose non-agriculture students to the many commodities. ACA's steer trailer featuring the beef cuts will be there too! Check out the College's Facebook page to see all the fun events happening this week on Auburn's campus. 

Trip to D.C.

Dr. Billy Powell, ACA President Bill Lipscomb and President-Elect Richard Meadows are finalizing their plans for their trip to Washington D.C. in the next two weeks. While there, the trio will join with 30 other state cattlemen's associations to attend the Spring Legislative Conference. This trip will provide our state cattlemen's representatives with the opportunity to go on office visits with Alabama's congressional delegation!

What's Going On Wednesday: March 23, 2016

Forgive us for not getting a post out last week. In the midst of all the craziness from the SLE Rodeo, tasks had to be prioritized. On the bright side, things are finally slowing down around the ACA office, and we're back to tell you all about what's going on and what's ahead for the ACA. Keep reading to stay in touch with your state office staff. There's lots to look forward to around here!

SLE Rodeo Rides Away

We are saying "so long" to the 59th annual SLE Rodeo and packing away all that comes with it. This year's rodeo featured the best bucking stock and cowboys we've ever seen. You'd have to go to the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas to see better competition. Not only that, but an arena record was broken in barrel racing.

We had incredible attendance and feedback from outside events that happened around the rodeo. Folks loved having the Cinch Junior and Senior High School Rodeo in the Garrett Coliseum arena, and a huge highlight this year was the inaugural 4-H, FFA and Collegiate Livestock Judging Competition where over 200 students judged beef cattle, hogs, sheep and goats at Garrett Coliseum. Five SEC teams also were there to practice their judging on their way to Houston Rodeo. It was a fantastic event with a great turnout. The NBHA barrel racing, team roping and Junior Beef Expo events also had a great turnout with impressive competition.

Alabama Ag Credit

The Cowboy Cookoff was a success with about 300 people showing up to help judge the People's Choice category. Congrats to Alabama Ag Credit for winning 1st place in People's Choice and Judge's Panel and to team "Grill Me Tender" for taking second on the Judge's Panel. 

Membership

We are within 1500 members of our 12000 member goal, folks! Get out and get recruiting; not only will it help the state association, but it could win you some awesome prizes. We have had 16 counties go "Over the Top," and they all received 20 SLE Rodeo tickets, courtesy of the SLE. Just in case you need some incentive to get out and recruit, check out these prizes:

• 5 new members – ACA cap and knife
• 15 new members – ACA shirt
• 25 new members – ACA vest
• 35 new members – ACA Red/Black jacket
• 50 new members - $250

Top Hand Club sponsored by Alabama Ag Credit and Alabama Farm Credit

Also, don't forget our John Deere Gator drawing sponsored by John Deere, SunSouth, Tri-Green Equipment, Snead Ag. For every new member you recruit, your name and the new members names go in the drawing. ACA members also have the opportunity to purchase more chances to win by calling ACA at 334-265-1867.

A Checkoff Preview

Your checkoff dollars will be used to educate a wide variety of influencers next month. April will feature four BEEF 101 programs at Auburn University, a dinner and discussion meeting with Montgomery Dietetic Association and a farm tour at CK Cattle Company in Hope Hull for culinary students and chefs. Get ready for some great updates from these worthwhile events.

A new contest, Bama’s Best Beef, will kick off on Monday, April 4th. This online contest will be completely consumer driven to find the most unique and delicious beef dish served at an Alabama restaurant. Stay tuned for more details as we get closer to the promotion kick-off!

Alabama Legislature

The Ag Coalition continues to monitor the activity of the Alabama Legislative Session. The session is about at its halfway point and will take next week off for Spring Break. Particular interest has been taken in monitoring the General Fund and Education budgets, and to date, they are moving along without any revenue increases that would negatively affect Alabama agriculture. 

Speaking of government, Dr. Billy Powell, ACA President Bill Lipscomb and President-Elect Richard Meadows are finalizing their plans for their trip to Washington D.C. While there, the trio will join with 30 other state cattlemen's associations to attend the Spring Legislative Conference. This trip will provide our state cattlemen's representatives with the opportunity to go on office visits with Alabama's congressional delegation!

Welcome Back, Madison

Madison Tew worked tirelessly to make
the 9th annual AJCA Round-Up a
success!

We are excited to announce that the young and talented Madison Tew of Dale County will be returning to her desk at the ACA office again as the summer intern. Madison' main task will, of course, be to plan the AJCA Round-Up held July 22-23 at Garrett Coliseum's livestock barns. 

Madison will be joining us on an official internship required as part of her agricultural communications curriculum at Mississippi State University. She was the taskmaster of last year's show and did an outstanding job, so we are excited to have her on the team for the 10th annual AJCA Round-Up!

YCLP Class III

County Presidents should be on the lookout for applications for the Young Cattlemen's Leadership Program- Class III. Those will be coming your way shortly as the class's first meeting will be May 11 in Montgomery. Be thinking about your nominations. 

Good Friday

After an eventful two months, the ACA staff will be enjoying some rest at home in honor of Good Friday, March 25. The office will be closed all day, but we will return bright and early on Monday morning. 

What's Going On Wednesday: March 9, 2016

Convention has come to a close, and we are saddling up for SLE Rodeo at the Cattlemen's building this week. That's right, the SLE Rodeo comes buckin' into town next week, and our team is gearing up for its many events as well as running around town promoting it! The rodeo isn't all that's going on around the ACA, though. 

Keep ready to find out what's going on...

2016 SLE Rodeo

The 59th annual SLE Rodeo comes bucking into town March 17-19. This is a family event you don't wanna miss because this year has all kinds of new events including a parade to kick off SLE week! Tickets are easy to buy:

• Call 1-888-2RODEO2 and order over phone
• Visit www.SLERodeo.com and order online through Ticketmaster.
• Visit the Cattlemen's building in Downtown Montgomery or the Garrett Coliseum and buy your tickets in person
• Mail in a ticket order form, which can her found here. 

You're not going to want to miss this family fun show packed with entertainment! Frontier Rodeo Company, PRCA's Stock Contractor of the Year, will be bringing their best including PRCA Saddle Bronc of the Year, Medicine Woman! In between the bucking, bulldoggin' and barrels, Pro Rodeo master comedian Lecile Harris

will entertain the crowd while celebrating 60 years in the business! Don't forget your boogie boots because following Friday and Saturday nights' performances, you'll get to go Dancin' in the Dirt to the Sweet Young'Uns (Friday) and the Wes Loper Band (Saturday). Just in case that's not enough excitement, Thursday night is First Responders & Military Night where FREE general admission is granted to anyone who can present a first responders or military identification. Friday night is Ladies Night where all ladies tickets will be submitted for some juicy door prizes drawn throughout the show! Lastly, bring those battle cries to the rodeo Saturday

The Sweet Young'Uns will perform
Friday evening following the
show, and the Wes Loper Band will
party in true rodeo fashion Saturday! 

 night for College Night, where college students can receive 4 tickets for only $40 with the presentation of a valid college i.d. 

Saddle up and join in the family fun and entertainment for all ages all while enjoying America's original sport, rodeo! Visit our website for more information and a schedule of events or LIKE US on Facebook. 

The MOOseum on Simply Southern

In case you missed it, The MOOseum was featured on last Sunday morning's episode of Simply Southern. Don't worry, you won't have to catch a rerun because it's already on YouTube. Technology is too neat, right? Here's the episode:  (Our segment appears at around 10:00 minutes in the show.)

Book your class or group tour of The MOOseum today! It's easy with our online sign up tool or by calling today. (334) 265-1867 Visit the history room, Slim's Kitchen or the Cow Pen or dress up like a real cowboy or cowgirl in the rodeo room! Come on out to The MOOseum, we'd love to see you.  

Rodeo Promo

Speaking of television, Dr. Billy Powell and Kayla Greer have been busy appearing on television and radio shows promoting the SLE Rodeo and Livestock week. If you listen to or watch WSFA, WAKA, WBAM Bama Country, I-92 WLWI, WTXT The Ticket with Doug Amos and Charlie Trotman, The River or Cumulus with JT and LeeAnn, you're bound to hear from us about the rodeo. More promotions to come this week and next so be listening or watching out!

Cowboy Cookoff- Sign Up Today

Have you got a Ribeye Steak recipe that's popular among crowds? If so, then get ready to get grillin' at this year's Cowboy Cookoff as part of SLE Rodeo week! Join us in front of Garrett Coliseum on

Saturday, March 19 for a Ribeye Steak cookoff you don't wanna miss. Teams of four or less can compete for monetary prizes in the People's Choice and Judge's Panel categories.

Interested in forming a team? Learn more and sign up today!

Membership Update

Total membership for 2016 to date is 10,159! Help us reach our goal of 12,000 members! Reminder: the dues effect went into 
effect as of March 1. 

April 30 is the deadline for Top Hand Club (see prizes in the February Alabama Cattleman) and for your county to go "Over the Top" to qualify for the Priefert Squeeze Chute. April 30 is also the deadline for the Gator raffle. 

Ag Coalition

The Ag Coalition met Tuesday morning to review legislative matters impacting our industries. Legislation has slowed down and both General Fund and Education budgets are slowly making their way through the House and Senate. According to Dr. Billy Powell, there was lots of discussion on the proposed increase in fuel tax and ensuring that funds are dedicated to fixing rural roads and bridges. The Ag Coalition is also monitoring several HSUS-sponsored bills.

Dietitians Farm Tour

This Wednesday afternoon, your Beef Checkoff dollars will go to work as staffers Erin Beasley and Kayla Greer will be joining forces with the fine folks at Autauga Farming Company, including ACA President Bill Lipscomb, to host over 60 dietitians on a farm tour. This is a pre-conference tour hosted as part of the Alabama Dietetics Association State Convention taking place in Montgomery. 

This is an opportunity to show these industry influencers how beef in produced and to answer their questions to teach them that beef is a safe, wholesome, nutritious product. 

Collegiate Livestock Judging Competition

Livestock Week will kickoff Thursday with a bang as over 200 students are participating in the first-ever SLE High School and Collegiate Judging Contest at Garrett Coliseum. Jason P’ Poole of Extension in in charge of this event and is excited to host this large group of talented livestock judgers. 

In Other News...

Dr. Powell met this week with State Statistician Cynthia Price with the USDA National Ag Statistics Service, and she reported that due to budget restraints, the July 1 cattle inventory survey has been suspended. 

What's Going On Wednesday: On To Rodeo

Crazy doesn't even begin to describe this time of year at the Cattlemen's building. Between the convention, rodeo, calf shows, spring events, summertime grilling and beef promotion all around the corner, this staff is gearing up for our busiest time of year! It's worth it, though, when we get to see all of our members at convention or when longtime rodeo-goers tell us how excited they are about this year's SLE Rodeo or when we see the look on dietitians' faces after they've learned something new and exciting about beef. This industry is one that's crazy, and by that we mean crazy fun to work for! 

Keep reading to learn about what's going on at the ACA:

Convention Recap

This year's Convention went off without a hitch! With an excellent trade show, some of the industry's best speakers and a little fun mixed in, the 73rd annual Convention and Trade Show was one for the books. Get the recap here from Dr. Billy Powell's with Randall Weiseman from Southeast AgNET. 

And for a good "Hump Day" smile, check out our new ACA President Bill Lipscomb and his wife Susan boot, scoot and boogie on the dance floor at last Friday's Rotational Grazing event to the tunes of Tim Tyler the Piano Man. More pics and videos can be found at the ACA Facebook page. 

Membership Update

Total membership for 2016 to date is 9,665! Help us reach our goal of 12,000 members! Reminder: the dues effect went into effect as of March 1. 

April 30 is the deadline for Top Hand Club (see prizes in the February Alabama Cattleman) and for your county to go "Over the Top" to qualify for the Priefert Squeeze Chute. April 30 is also the deadline for the Gator raffle. 

Cowboy Cookoff- Sign Up Today

Have you got a Ribeye Steak recipe that's popular among crowds? If so, then get ready to get grillin' at this year's Cowboy Cookoff as part of SLE Rodeo week! Join us in front of Garrett Coliseum on

Saturday, March 19 for a Ribeye Steak cookoff you don't wanna miss. Teams of four or less can compete for monetary prizes in the People's Choice and Judge's Panel categories.

Interested in forming a team? Learn more and sign up today!

The MOOseum

Book your class or group tour of The MOOseum today! It's easy with our online sign up tool or by calling today. (334) 265-1867 Visit the history room, Slim's Kitchen or the Cow Pen or dress up like a real cowboy or cowgirl in the rodeo room! Come on out to The MOOseum, we'd love to see you. 

2016 SLE Rodeo

The 59th Annual SLE Rodeo comes bucking into town March 17-19. This is a family event you don't wanna miss because this year has all kinds of new events including a parade to kick off SLE week! Tickets are easy to buy:

• Call 1-888-2RODEO2 and order over phone
• Visit www.SLERodeo.com and order online through Ticketmaster.
• Visit the Cattlemen's building in Downtown Montgomery or the Garrett Coliseum and buy your tickets in person
• Mail in a ticket order form, which can her found here. 

You're not going to want to miss this family fun show packed with entertainment! Frontier Rodeo Company, PRCA's Stock Contractor of the Year, will be bringing their best including PRCA Saddle Bronc of the Year, Medicine Woman! In between the bucking, bulldoggin' and barrels, Pro Rodeo master comedian Lecile Harris

will entertain the crowd while celebrating 60 years in the business! Don't forget your boogie boots because following Friday and Saturday nights' performances, you'll get to go Dancin' in the Dirt to the Sweet Young'Uns (Friday) and the Wes Loper Band (Saturday). Just in case that's not enough excitement, Thursday night is First Responders Night where FREE general admission is granted to anyone who can present a first responders identification. Friday night is Ladies Night where all ladies tickets will be submitted for some juicy door prizes drawn throughout the show! Lastly, bring those battle cries to the rodeo Saturday

The Sweet Young'Uns will perform
Friday evening following the
show, and the Wes Loper Band will
party in true rodeo fashion Saturday! 

 night for College Night, where college students can receive 4 tickets for only $40 with the presentation of a valid college i.d. 

Saddle up and join in the family fun and entertainment for all ages all while enjoying America's original sport, rodeo! Visit our website for more information and a schedule of events.

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