What's Going On Wednesday: December 14, 2016

With the closing out of the year, one would think office tasks would be slowing down. On the contrary, much like the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, our office is busy with year-end tasks as well as planning ahead for 2017. Take a minute along with us to enjoy this week's blog update. 

Capital City Stampede- 74th Annual ACA Convention & Trade Show

The Capital City Stampede will be held Feb. 15-16, 2017 at the Renaissance Hotel and Montgomery Convention Center in Montgomery, Ala. Registration is now open online, and mail-in registration forms are available in the December issue of the Alabama Cattleman magazine. You can also book your hotel now through this link or by calling 334-481-5000 and ask for the Cattlemen's Block using the mini code "CAT."

We have three headliner speakers this year. 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 sessions. Next on the lineup 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. Also confirmed is NCBA's Senior VP of Global Marketing and Research Alisa Harrison. Alisa comes with vast experience in the worlds of beef retail marketing and public relations, and she will be giving an update on Checkoff efforts globally.


Also, the Trade Show is filling up! Fifty+ vendors are locked in including some great equipment vendors. WE ONLY HAVE 15 BOOTH SPACES STILL AVAILABLE. Visit www.BamaBeef.org/Convention to register now. You can also stay up-to-date with all the newest announcements by joining our Convention Event Page on Facebook.

Greene County Report

Thanks to the efforts of Thed Spree, Greene County Cattlemen's President Kevin Jockish and the Greene County Extension Office, more than 80 cattlemen enjoyed a steak dinner last Thursday with the intent to reactivate the Greene County Cattlemen's Association, whose membership had dropped to 11 members. As a result of the meeting, Greene County Cattlemen's now has 54 new members as of this week. It was a great meeting without outstanding leadership where new members 

A Very "Mooey Christmas"

On Friday, December 9, more than 80 preschoolers from Montgomery-area daycares and a group of special needs adults

from the Azalea Training Center in Prattville joined us for The MOOseum’s first-ever “Mooey Christmas” event for photos with Santa, a Christmas cookie snack and to learn all about Alabama’s beef cattle industry through tours of The MOOseum. The groups even had the opportunity to see real live Shorthorn steers on display by AJCA President Cameron Catrett and AJCA District 4 Director Cassidy Catrett.

The MOOseum also served as a proud Toys for Tots 2016 drop off location and encouraged “Mooey Christmas” attendees to bring donations for the charity that provides toys to less-fortunate children.

The first-ever “Mooey Christmas” event was a hit, and plans are already in the works to make next year’s event bigger and better. This event was aimed at giving back to the community, and it truly brought joy to all involved.

YCLP Class III

Class III met for their final meeting before graduation at the ACA

Convention. The focus of the meeting was to recap learning experiences over the year, work on communication skills, discover ways to deal with differing personalities, and continue our work on issues management training.

Matthew Pounds Joins ACA Staff

We are excited to welcome the new ACA Director of Industry Relations & Youth Activities Matthew Pounds into the office for his first week on the job. Matthew is a very recent graduate of Auburn University's College of Agriculture and a Pike Road resident. He is the grandson of well-known Brahman breeder and veterinarian Dr. Robert Barlow. On a fun note, he is also new to the married world as he and his new wife, Whitney, recently wedded in November. He has hit the ground running making contacts in counties with Junior Cattlemen's chapters, attending industry-related meetings and planning next week's AJCA Directors meeting. 

Matthew comes to the ACA after having spent several years working for two very large purebred Brahman ranches in Texas- Hudgins and V-8 and five years with Joyce Custom Fitters. He grew up on a cattle farm and was an active member of the Alabama Junior Cattlemen's Association. He is well-versed in exhibiting in the Junior Beef Expo, the Alabama Junior Fair and the AJCA Roundup. 

You can contact Matthew by email or by calling him at (334) 265-1867. 

Drought Committee Meeting

The Drought Committee meeting with the governor's office and stakeholders this morning at the Cattlemen's Building expand on the educational process on how to use less hay by incorporating alternative feeds. We want to work with neighboring states, particularly our neighbors to the west, to expand the online hay directory. Again, meeting with the governor's office and stakeholders. 

Black Vulture Meeting

Black Vultures have been a problem, but are especially so along the Tennessee River among our friends in northwest Alabama. These vultures flock together in an un-ordinary fashion and kill or maim calves during or after birth. As we all know, birds of prey are protected by the federal government. Despite that, this has become a growing problem in the past couple of years and the ACA and stakeholders are meeting to discuss streamlining the process on getting a permit. 

Retirement Reception

We enjoyed hosting a surprise retirement reception for Martha

Davis last evening to honor 26 years of dedicated service to the ACA. Past presidents, staff members new and old and family members stopped by to wish her well and offer gifts. She was even serenaded by longtime staff member and Pike County cattleman Ed Whatley. Thank you, Martha!

Beef. It's What's For Dinner- Holiday Roasting Video

Having trouble deciding how to prepare your holiday roast? We've got you covered....

SLE Rodeo Time!

We've got a lot of SLE Rodeo planning in the works as we look to close out 2017. Thursday afternoon, we are meeting with longtime SLE Rodeo media consultant Lisa Matthews Locklar to continue planning the promotional campaign for the 60th annual SLE Rodeo. We are also meeting over lunch today with representatives from the Wind Creek Casino and Hotel Montgomery & Wetumpka to discuss their sponsorship. We so appreciate Wind Creek's support!

THIS FRIDAY, December 16, tickets for the four rodeo performances will open on all platforms to the general public! Rodeo tickets can be purchased online at SLERodeo.com, by calling 1-888-2RODEO2, through mail-in order forms available online, by visiting the Garrett Coliseum Box Office or at a local Publix.

AJCA Director Meeting

AJCA Directors will be meeting Tuesday, December 20 to discuss potential changes, dates and themes for the 2017 AJCA Round-Up. We look forward to having our Junior directors in town for the day and are excited for them to meet the new ACA Director of Industry Relations & Youth Activities Matthew Pounds. 

Thanks for checking out this week's blog post! Tune in next week for a big announcement about next year's Bama Beef Blog. Until then, keep up with our day-to-day activities by visiting our website (BamaBeef.org), our Events Calendar or FOLLOW US on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Have a great week!

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