Happy Thanksgiving!
It seems that as quickly as we welcomed the month of November, we're saying goodbye until 2017. It's been a few hard months in the cattle industry with more tough times ahead as we face the obvious obstacles of severe drought conditions during a period of low market prices. Thanksgiving is not about focusing on the hardships, however. It's about being thankful for our many blessings, and this year, those of us in the state office are thankful for our ACA members, the many outstanding state and county leaders and for our industry allies who are always here to offer a helping hand. We are thankful to be a part of Alabama's beef cattle industry which helps produce the world's safest, most nutritious beef supply and the many cattlemen who have spent their lives to this industry.
That's just a few reasons we are thankful this Thanksgiving. Keep reading to learn about all that's happened around the office in the past two weeks and feel free to leave a comment below about what you're thankful for this year!
Membership Update
REMINDER– The deadline for the early bird drawing is November 28th. All memberships AND payments must be in the state office by the 28th for members to qualify. Lists or pending membership without payment will not be accepted. If you have any questions please contact Jessica Kennedy in the state office.
Speaking of membership, progress is being made on the selection of a new membership software package. We are running on borrowed time with our well-use Ag Returns system, but an upgrade is required to grow our membership database capabilities. Staff has been studying and reviewing different software packages and will hopefully come to a decision by December. County leaders, we will keep you informed along the way.
Also on the software front, early in December we will be implementing a new software package that will help ensure compliance with both the state and national checkoff collections, courtesy of the Cattlemen's Beef Board.
Alabama State Beef Checkoff Marketing Plan
The 2017 Beef Checkoff Marketing Plan was approved by theBig Changes for ACA in 2017
If you haven't already heard, at last week's Board Meeting ACA's Dr. Billy Powell announced his retirement effective June 30, 2017 after 35 years of service to the ACA. As for his successor, the Board approved current Director of Checkoff Programs Erin Beasley to be named assistant executive vice president effective January 1. Here's a comment from the future EVP herself...
“It is an honor to serve the cattlemen of Alabama in this role. Our foundation is solid which provides a wonderful opportunity to increase our membership, enhance checkoff programs and continue our relationships in the legislature. I look forward to working with the county cattlemen groups to identify areas of improvement to help meet our member needs. We have a fantastic staff that works hard for you so that you see value in your membership and the impact of your checkoff dollars at work.” -Erin Beasley
Honoring Dr. J Lee Alley
Cattlemen honored Dr. J Lee Alley for his strong leadership in Alabama's animal health sector during his term as state veterinarian and for leading the effort to make Alabama "brucellosis free." Dr. Alley was also instrumental in working with the Ag Coalition to secure the $13.5 million in state funding needed to construct the state diagnostic lab. Today, that lab is one of the most state-of-the-art animal diagnostic labs in the nation.
The State Beef Checkoff donated $10,000 in Dr. Alley's honor to purchase technology upgrades required for the Serology Lab.
Drought Meetings and Coverage
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| Photo Credit: ADECA |
ACA's Dr. Billy Powell spent a cold and early morning at west Montgomery's Catoma Creek with WSFA's Bethany Davis to interview about the impact of the drought on the cattle industry along with Director of Montgomery Water Works Buddy Morgan and our friends at ADECA. ACA leadership has done interviews with several other news outlets, and we've seen many news segments with cattlemen across the state who have done a fantastic job of representing cattle producers.
On Tuesday, Dr. Powell had a discussion with Commissioner McMillan to review the status of the drought. Government officials are beginning to ask about what they can do, and Dr. Powell and Commissioner McMillan agreed to suggest a monetary allocation dedicated to having hay shipped into the state may be the next required step for the sake of state cattle producers. Stay tuned for more news on that as the drought committee will meet next week.
Capitol City Stampede- 74th Annual ACA Convention & Trade Show
The Capitol City Stampede will be held Feb. 15-16, 2017 at the Renaissance Hotel and Montgomery Convention Center in Montgomery, Ala. Registration opens online on December 1, and mail-in registration forms will be available in the December issue of the Alabama Cattleman magazine.
We have confirmed our two keynote speakers- the first is 10-year veteran of CattleFax, Clay Spearman. The Colorado State University graduate will discuss weather predictions and cattle price outlooks during one of the Convention's General Sessions. Also confirmed is NCBA Past President Steve Foglesong who is now serving as a member of President-Elect Donald Trump's agricultural advisory team. Foglesong will give us a look inside the future of American agriculture under the Trump Administration.
Visit www.BamaBeef.org/Convention to register on December 1!
Scholarship Deadline Approaching
Rodeo Tickets- Available Soon
Just in time for Christmas, tickets for the 60th annual SLE Rodeo will be available for purchase Friday, December 16 online and by calling 888-2RODEO2. Talk about a perfect stocking stuffer! Don't miss out on the gift of family fun!Thanksgiving Holiday
Happy Thanksgiving from all your state staffers. We hope you have a safe and blessed holiday spent with family. The ACA office will be closed November 24-25 in observance of the Thanksgiving Holiday. Normal business hours will resume on Monday, November 28. While it may be "Turkey Day," as always, we encourage you to eat BEEF!
Don't forget to tell us what you're thankful for in the comments below! Thanks for reading this week's post. See you next week!
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