What's Going On Wednesday: Feb. 24, 2016

It's certainly not your average week around the ACA! As staff prepares to head to Birmingham tomorrow morning, it's all hands on deck in Convention mode. Selina is stuffing vendor and online registration packets, Curt is putting the finishing touches on his Junior session plans, Kayla is running program copies, planning out the Friday night photo booth and developing a social media presentation, and Martha and Dr. Powell are managing the team and all the tiny details that come along with a convention as well as putting the final touches on the Awards Banquet, Legislative Luncheon, Board Meeting, and well, everything else that's going on. Erin is even working from home managing the trade show and its many vendors! 

Needless to say, it's busy around here, so forgive us if this week's post is shorter than usual. The them of this week is #BamaBeefMeet. 

ACA Convention and Trade Show- FRIDAY AND SATURDAY!

ACA officers and staff are finalizing plans for the “Iron City Beef Bash” this weekend in Birmingham! It's going to be a great time of fellowship and education, so don't miss out.

If you haven't registered for the 73rd annual ACA Convention and Trade Show, don't worry. It's not too late! Onsite registration will be available Friday and Saturday. Cost of registration onsite will be $15 per day! 

We have a great lineup of guest speakers and a sold-out trade show for the Iron City Beef Bash Alabama Senior Senator Richard Shelby will be the keynote speaker at the legislative luncheon while Kim Stackhouse-Lawson, Ph.D., Administrator for the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, will be the general session guest speaker. Other guest speakers include USMEF's Dan Halstrom who will speak on "What Lies Ahead for the Beef Export Market," Soren Rodning, DMV, from Auburn University, nationally-recognized Extension Ag Economist Dr. Derrell Peel from Oklahoma State University and NCBA Executive Director of Producer Education Josh White. 

Our trade show is sold out with over 60 vendors including companies like Tri-Green, Priefert, Fuller Supply, Deep South Livestock, Merck, New Holland North America, Southern Silage Company, Drummonds Farms, BamaWise, Verizon Wireless and many, many more! The trade show alone is worth the trip to the Iron City!

Friday night's Rotational Grazing is going to be a great time for all with fun, fellowship and boot, scoot and boogy-in' to Tim Tyler the Piano Man! We also have a great selection of items for Beef PAC auction planned for Friday night with World Champion Auctioneer Branden Neely along with some very interesting items. You do not have to be present to participate and we will send you a list of auction items soon!

A special thanks to this year's Convention sponsors Alabama Farm Credit/Alabama Land Credit, Alabama Farmers Cooperative. Alabama Farmers Federation, AgriLabs, Alabama CattleWomen’s Association, First South Farm Credit, Fuller Supply Company/Preifert Ranch Equipment, Morgan Stanley, ServisFirst Bank, Southeast AgNet and the Southeastern Livestock Exposition.

More information regarding this year's convention is in February's issue of the Alabama Cattleman. We can't wait to see you there- we'll be ready!

Alabama Live! Interview

Monday morning, Dr. Billy Powell and Kayla Greer spent the morning on the set of Alabama Live! promoting the Convention and Trade Show. This was the second talk show interview promoting the Convention and great coverage for the event! To see the interview, click here. 

Membership Update

Total membership for 2016 to date is 8,227! Help us reach our goal of 12,000 members! THIS WEEK is your final opportunity to renew or join at the $30 rate. The dues increase will take effect on March 1st. 

April 30 is the deadline for Top Hand Club (see prizes in the January 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- tickets for the Gator will be for sale at the ACA Convention. 

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!

Social Media Update

You might have started noticing some small changes on our social media sites. If not, take a look! Hopefully some bigger, better and more productive changes are headed the ACA's way! As for this week, though, the Sunday post (pictured below) did excellent! To date, it's gotten 419 likes, 908 shares and reached over 97,000 people and counting! To explain, that means over 97,000 people have been exposed to the good message about producing cattle in the state of Alabama...for FREE! Social media is a powerful tool. Pictured is Jim Akin on his Lauderdale County farm. 

Follow us today! 

FACEBOOK 
TWITTER

INSTAGRAM

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.

Movie Monday: An Invite from the Executive Office

Are you still on the fence about whether or not you're coming to the ACA Convention and Trade Show? With this lineup of great speakers, you can't miss this opportunity to learn more about this industry that you work for on a daily basis. This week's #MovieMonday features ACA Executive VP Dr. Billy Powell as he tells you about this year's featured speakers. Check it out:

What's Going On Wednesday: So Long, 2015!

Who can believe that there's just over a week left in the 2015 year? The state staffers feel so blessed and honored to be working for the best cattlemen there are, Alabama cattlemen. This is the last #WhatsGoingOn blog post of 2015. As we reflect over the year, it's been an exciting one for sure, but one that wouldn't be possible without our outstanding state officers, executive committee, Board, county officers, members and partner organizations. Happy New Year- let's make 2016 the best yet!

AJCA Directors Visit the Capitol City

ACA Director of Industry Relations and Youth Activities Curt, with the help of the state staff team, hosted a successful  AJCA Director's December meeting and leadership training session. The directors planned events for 2016, received social media, issues management and "ag"vocate training and dined at the Capitol City Club. Not only did they get to enjoy one another's company, but they learned great leadership skills to be used in the future and prepared for an exciting 2016 year!

Membership Update and County Annual Meetings

ACA Membership Coordinator Selina Knight wants to encourage everyone to pay annual dues NOW at only $30 or pay for three years at only $90! This is a reminder that the dues increase will take effect on March 1, 2016!

Check out the dates below for your upcoming annual meeting:

• Friday, Jan. 8 - Limestone County at the  Limestone Co. Event Center at 6:30 pm
• Friday, Jan. 8- Morgan County at Hartselle High School at 6:00 pm 
• Saturday, Jan. 9- Marshall County at the Guntersville Recreation Center at 6:00 pm
• Thursday, Jan. 14- Crenshaw County at Tom Harbin Ag Center in Luverne at 7:00 pm
• Thursday, Jan. 14- Hale County at the Hale County Armory in Greensboro at 6:00 pm. 
• Friday, Jan. 15- Coffee County
• Friday, Jan. 15 – Lamar County at the Vernon Auditorium at 7:00 pm 
• Saturday, Jan. 16th- Colbert County at 5:00 pm
• Saturday, Jan. 16th- Clarke County at Clarke Prep School 6:30 pm
• Sat. Jan. 16th - Cullman County at Cullman Civic Center at 6:00 pm
• Saturday, Jan. 16th- Madison County
• Saturday, Jan. 16th- Walker County at Huckleberry Farms at 6:30 pm. 
• Tuesday, Jan. 19th- Talladega County
• Thursday, Jan. 21- Monroe County at the Monroeville Community House
• Thursday, Jan. 21- Houston County at Houston County Farm Center at 6:30 pm
• Thursday, Jan. 28- Lee County at Lazenby Farms 6:00 pm
• Saturday, Jan. 30- Franklin County at 6:00 pm
• Saturday, Jan. 30- Jackson County 
• Saturday, Jan. 30- Jefferson County at the Gardendale Civic Center. 
• Sunday, Jan. 31- Montgomery County Annual Meeting and Junior Cattlemen County Beef Expo Show at the Teague and Lewis Barns of the Garrett Coliseum. Show starts at 2:30 pm and meeting starts at 5:30 pm.

SLE Rodeo and ACA Convention

Save the dates for the 2016 ACA Convention to be held Feb. 26-27 at the Sheraton Hotel in Downtown Birmingham. The Iron City Beef Bash has an exciting lineup of speakers and industry representatives ready to educate you on today's cattle industry. The trade show will have a host of equipment, trinkets and information readily available for you to see! Don't miss the 2016 Convention!

Also, save the dates for the 2016 SLE Rodeo- March 17-19. 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 dancin' 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). Visit SLERodeo.com to learn more about this year's show! Family fun and entertainment for all ages all while enjoying America's original sport, rodeo!

Christmas and New Year Office Closure

Today, after the checks are signed, the January magazine is sent to press and all systems are shut down, the ACA state office and The MOOseum will close from Dec. 24- Jan. 4 in observance of the Christmas and New Year season This will give the state staffers a chance to relax, catch their breath and enjoy family time just before the ACA Convention and SLE Rodeo come to town! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our members and partner organizations!

What's Going On Wednesday: October 28, 2015

Believe it or not, November is almost here! While the 2015 year may be winding down, our schedules are not! In fact, you'll find that we are already busy making plans for 2016! It's an exciting time for the ACA with October Beef Month in full swing, Beef Checkoff Marketing Plan task force meetings, a new membership year approaching and Convention just around the corner! Staying busy for Alabama's cattlemen is what the ACA staff loves to do. 

See #WhatsGoingOn this week at the Cattlemen's building in Montgomery!

2016 Marketing Plan Task Force Meets

Each year, a strategic marketing plan must be implemented to dictate how Alabama's beef checkoff dollars will be spent. With 2016 on the horizon, the task force had its first meeting of the strategic planning process on Tuesday, Oct. 27 at the Cattlemen's offices. 

The group of more than 40 Alabama cattlemen and industry influencers gathered Tuesday morning to hear a quick overview of the day from ACA's Dr. Billy Powell and Erin Beasley then were given an overview of national beef checkoff programs from NCBA representative Shawn Darcy. Shawn's talk gave an interesting perspective of what consumers and the millennial generation understand and want of the beef industry.  After Shawn finished up his presentation, the task force divided into three breakout groups focused on producer communication and youth activities, consumer promotion and education and crisis preparedness. To break up the time of the day's long meetings, the group was treated to a delicious steak lunch!

It was a productive day, indeed, and big leaps were taken in the creation of the 2016 Marketing Plan. The ACA staff would like to thank all those who attended and gave their input. Checkoff dollars belong to our state's cattlemen, and we want to make sure we use them to their benefit and desire!

Congrats to The Old Barn Restaurant!

The Old Barn Restaurant in Goshen, AL was named home to the 2015 Best ribeye steak in Alabama! To award this accomplishment, ACA staff and regional media gathered at the restaurant last Friday evening for a press conference and plaque presentation! They even enjoyed sitting down to Alabama's Best Steak!

Bull Sales and Livestock Shows

ACA's Curt Berry has found himself on the roads a lot during this fall season in Alabama. He's traveled from one side of the state to the other attending bull sales. This past weekend, he had the pleasure of attending the Debter Hereford Farm annual sale in Horton, AL in Blount County. This coming Friday, he won't have to travel too far to attend the CK Cattle Bull Sale in Hope Hull, AL near Montgomery.  

Following Friday's sale, Curt will spend his weekend at the Alabama National Fair here in Montgomery offering assistance in the cattle shows that occur during fair season. If any of our AJCA members are planning to be there, look out for Curt and give him a shout! 

SLE Exec and Staff Plans for Rodeo

This afternoon, SLE staffers and the executive committee will meet via conference call to discuss some of the nitty gritty details of the 2016 SLE Rodeo. We are getting very excited for this year's performances, and hope that you are getting ready to attend! Ticket sales will be up before you know it, but until then save the dates for March 17-19, 2016 at the Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery! 

Wrapping Up Beef Month

ACA staffer Erin Beasley will be in Birmingham Thursday, Oct. 29 to finish up October Beef Month activities. At noon, beef will be featured on FOX 6 news in a cooking segment. That evening, 60 dietitians from the area will join the ACA for a beef program to discuss hot topics in the cattle industry and how to incorporate lean beef into a healthy diet. 

Erin's worked hard during October Beef Month, and her efforts are appreciated by staff and Alabama's cattlemen!

County Meetings Galore!

Don't miss your county meeting in November! Here's the information we have on upcoming November meetings!

• Pike County: Monday, November 2 at 6pm, PCCA Building in Troy 
• Butler County: Saturday, November 7th 
• Barbour County: Thursday, November 12 at 6:30 pm, Texasville Community House, 2429 County Road 53, Texasville, Alabama. Please RSVP by Wednesday, November 11, 2015, by calling Merri Robinson at (334) 775-3284.
• Sumter County: Thursday, November 19th at 6pm, Livingston Civic Center
• Randolph County: Thursday, November 19th 
• Lauderdale County: Thursday, Nov. 19th at Crosspoint Church of Christ 
• Conecuh County: Sat., November 21st at 6pm, Repton School

Final Call: Beef Up Your Tailgate

This Saturday, October 31 is your FINAL chance to enter into the October Beef Month #BeefUpYourTailgate contest! It's easy to enter- simply use beef in a tailgate recipe at this weekend's games, take a picture of your friends, family and beef menu item and post it to the ACA Facebook page! It's that easy, and it's worth it for the awesome prize package that comes along with it! Learn more here.  

2016 ACA Membership

Renewal statements will be mailed for 2016 dues next week! Currently dues remain at $30, and the dues increase to $50 will take effect on March 1, 2016.

ACA members are eligible for an amazing discount program! Check it out:

• 1-year subscription to the Alabama Cattleman magazine
• www.bamabeef.org—FREE shipping on purchase online store 
• Cattlemax - 10% discount www.cattlemax.com/alcattle
• The MOOseum—20% OFF your total purchase in store purchase 
• Priesters Pecans—20% OFF a single item at any retail store
• Walker Lands & Cattle, LLC — $250 OFF a purchase of a Gooseneck Brand livestock trailer (Rodney Walker 256-846-5066)
• DELL computers - www.dell.com/mpp AT&T Wireless—http://www.att.com/wireless/aca
• Bush Hog—$250 OFF any Bush Hog Brand product valued at $5,000 or above
• American Fast Lube—$7 OFF an oil changes and 10% off any other service
• Air Evac Lifeteam—$10 OFF any one year membership
• Enterprise Car Rentals—Discounts offered to ACA members 
• Healthy Lifestyle —FREE Pharmacy Card www.bamabeef.pharmacycard.org
• Wyndham Hotel Group—15% OFF rates 

National and State Conventions

Save the dates! The NCBA Beef Meet will be held January 27-29, 2016 in San Diego! To learn more about this year's #BeefMeet and to swing a sweet deal on registration costs, read Region 2 NCBA Marketing Ambassador and ACA member's Michelle Bufkin blog spot HERE. She's happy to help with any questions and offers promotional codes.

Shortly after the 2016 #BeefMeet comes the ACA Convention. The convention will be held in Birmingham this year at the Sheraton Hotel Feb. 26-27, 2016. Be looking out for more information, but until then, save the date!

What's Going On Wednesday: August 12, 2015

Meetings, meetings and more meetings- that's the theme of this week at the Cattlemen's building! Task force meetings, committee meetings, board meetings...so many meetings! They're all, however, for the betterment of our association and Alabama's beef industry, so your ACA staffers are happy to conduct or attend as many meetings as it takes! 

Also, our Checkoff and Magazine staffers are preparing for the big month of October- Beef Month in Alabama! Get ready for events, promotions and some pretty cool social media campaigns as well as the "Bulls of Fall" issue of the Alabama Cattleman.

See #WhatsGoingOn around this Cattlemen's office this week:

Alabama's Best Steak

We are in the "Enticing 8" round of the 2015 Alabama's Best Steak contest and the competition is getting hot! This portion of the bracket challenge kicked off Monday at noon and so far over 9,000 votes have been recorded! The bracket closes Saturday, August 15 at midnight, so submit your vote before then at www.AlabamasBestSteak.com. 

The final "Fiery 4" restaurants will be announced Monday, August 24 and anonymous judging will begin and continue throughout the month of September! Make sure your favorite restaurant makes it to the "Fiery 4" and vote now! 

Mag Ads...Get Your Mag Ads!

As we mentioned earlier, October's issue of the Alabama Cattlemen magazine is the "Bulls of Fall" issue, and we are offering an advertising special too good to pass up! If you call and reserve your spot by Sept. 10, we can get you a quarter-page, two-color ad for only $200! If you've got a bull sale going on, then this is the deal for you! 

Get your spot in our October issue today by calling our office and asking for Nicky or by emailing her.

Obesity Task Force Meeting

The Alabama Obesity Task Force held its quarterly meeting Tuesday in Birmingham. The group- comprised of nutrition professionals and organizations- met to discuss initiatives in the state that are helping Alabamians make healthy lifestyle choices, and ACA staffer Erin Beasley was there to make sure beef was well represented!

A new campaign was recently kicked off called "Get Moving Alabama." It features a theme each month to keep the state moving. The ACA is looking for ways to become involved as a lead organization as a part of October Beef Month planning! The next meeting for the task force will be held at the ACA building in December, and Erin will present ways that beef fits into a healthy diet.

Department of Agriculture and Related Industries Board Meeting

Not only was Erin out representing the beef industry in meetings on Tuesday, but the newest ACA staffer Curt Berry was also! Curt spent a chunk out of his day at the Dept. of Ag and Related Industries Board Meeting where a variety of topics were discussed from avian influenza to financial business related to the happenings of our legislature's special session. 

On a topic more related to our industry- State Veterinarian Dr. Frazier gave a report on a proposed rule to change the way bulls are tested for Bovine Trichomoniasis. This rule would simplify the testing process in the future.

SLE Committee Meetings

On Friday our SLE Rodeo officers and committees are meeting in house to discuss the upcoming 2016 SLE Rodeo and the events associated with it! The rodeo will be held March 17-19, 2016 at Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery.

Be on the lookout for social media surveys regarding what you'd like to see at next year's rodeo! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates!