What's Going On Wednesday: July 22, 2015

Can you believe it?! It's almost August! Where in the world did the summer go?! That's right; soon the kids will go back to school, football season will kick off, cold weather will start working its way in, the holiday season will sneak up on us, then feeding cattle in the snow and ice, calving season...WHOA...rewind. 

None of that can happen until July is over, and we have a BUSY end of July to look forward to here at the Alabama Cattlemen's Association!

2015 AJCA Round-Up

Ready, set...AND THEY'RE OFF! It's Round-Up season for the Alabama Junior Cattlemen's Association and by tomorrow, more than 150 participants, their families and their cattle will have made the trek to Montgomery to Catch a Wave with us! 

We are so excited (and, we admit, stressed!) with the arrival of the Round-Up and have our staff working overtime to get prepared for it! Last minute details, a lot of printing, coliseum set-up, organization, ballots, raffle tickets, sponsorships, stall assignemnts, check-ins, membership, collecting awards...our heads are spinning! Even some of the AJCA directors came in the office today to help with last minute labor! 

It will all be worth it TOMORROW when the Round-Up kicks off! We can't wait to see you there!

See #WhatsGoingOn in the office today to get ready for the Round-Up:

Young Cattlemen's Leadership Program

Speaking of tomorrow...the YCLP-Class II will have it's first session at the Cattlemen's building to kick off an exciting year of learning, advocating, networking and training to become better representatives and leaders of the beef industry. Led by Dr. Don Mulvaney of Auburn University's Dept. of Animal Sciences, and ACA staff, 19 young cattlemen and emerging leaders (ages 22-40) from across the state will join to begin a program to enhance leadership skills and learn more about Alabama’s cattle industry. Funded through the Alabama state beef checkoff, this program ensures development of the next generation of cattlemen leaders for the association.

Alabama's Best Steak

The contest is well underway and nominations are through the roof! We are excited to have already received 7,600 nominations representing 141 restaurants across the state! If you know of an Alabama restaurant that serves up a rockin' ribeye, nominate them at www.AlabamasBestSteak.com. 

The Alabama's Best Steak contest is sponsored by the Alabama Beef Checkoff, the National Beef Checkoff and the Alabama Cattlemen's Association. 

ACA Officers Working Hard

ACA President Jim Akin, President Elect Bill Lipscomb, Vice President Richard Meadows and Treasurer L.D. Fitzpatrick will be in the big city of Montgomery this week to help judge various events for the AJCA Round-Up. While in town, they will also be meeting to plan August's Board of Directors meeting and discuss legislation that may be considered in the legislative special session that's convening on Aug. 3. 

We appreciate the work and devotion of our state officer team to the betterment of our association and our industry! 

Show Others You're a Steward of the Land

How, you ask? Purchase a Cowboy Tag to support the funding of youth events and scholarships for our state's future industry leaders. Invest in a tag, invest in a future...

ACA Membership

Sign up now for your 2016 Alabama Cattlemen's Association membership by visiting www.BamaBeef.org or by contacting your county officers. There are great benefits that come with being an ACA member, including receiving our monthly magazine the Alabama Cattleman where you can learn about what's happening in the state, read up on research efforts and find producers in our directory. Sign up today- you won't regret it!

What's Going On Wednesday

July is a busy month at the Alabama Cattlemen's Association, and we want to make sure our members stay in-the-know about #WhatsGoingOn around our office. Check out what we are up to this week.

Alabama's Best Steak Has Great Kickoff

In only one week, the Alabama's Best Steak contest has generated 1400 nominations that accounts for 104 Alabama restaurants! Big numbers for a beefy contest! This contest usually causes a rise in beef sales across the state. Check out what ACA Director of Consumer Marketing Erin Beasley has to say about it here! 

 Be sure to visit www.AlabamasBestSteak.com to nominate your favorite Alabama steakhouse that serves up a rockin' ribeye!

AJCA Round-Up

The 2015 Round-Up is two weeks away, and our staff is constantly working on the ins and outs of making it happen! We are excited to Catch a Wave at this year's show with  more than 150 participants, 200 head of cattle and 14 different contests!

ACA Intern Madison Tew is ordering some great awards, prizes and gear, and you're not going to want to miss out on getting at chance at what she's bought up. 

If you have any questions email Madison or call (334) 265-1867. We will see you July 23-26 at the Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery, AL.

Magazine Advertising

The August issue of the Alabama Cattleman will feature the

Simmental breed and Nicky Bechard is taking ad reservations until July 17th.

Also, October is the Bull Buying issue, and Nicky has already started taking reservations for that issue.

Call or email her today to reserve your spot in the magazine! 

Legislative Front

We know many of you may be concerned with the recent WTO ruling that stated the Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) legislation is against trade rules and Canada and Mexico could retaliate, but the Cattlemen’s Association has your back. We worked with our Congressional delegation in the House where legislation has passed repealing COOL. Now we are asking Senator Shelby to also vote to repeal the legislation that has largely negative affects on our industry. If you have questions or concerns about the legislation, give us a call. We encourage all who are against COOL to call our senators in DC and ask them to vote to repeal this legislation.

Young Cattlemen’s Leadership Program

The second class of YCLP is set. Twenty-one emerging leaders across the state will be joining together on July 23 at the ACA office under the leadership of ACA staff and Dr. Don Mulvaney, ACA regional vice president and Auburn University faculty member, to learn about the association’s program of work, the checkoff program and to discuss industry hot topics. Following the discussion, the group will visit the Alabama Senate Chamber where Dr. Powell will lead a discussion on how a bill becomes a law and what to expect in the upcoming General Session.

What's Going On Wednesday

This week, we're all about the Alabama FFA Convention here at the ACA. As major sponsors of the convention and even bigger supporters of the FFA, we are heavily involved in the state convention held every June at the Montgomery Performing Arts Center and Renaissance Convention Center in.

We have several events going on this week centered around the convention held June 10-11, and we are excited to be involved! One of our own staff members is even being recognized for her outstanding service to the Alabama FFA.

Wall of Honor Luncheon

The ACA will host the FFA Wall of Honor Luncheon Wednesday, June 10 at 11 p.m. Current and past state officers along with their families and FFA sponsors will be served a ribeye steak cut by ACA's very own Erin Beasley and prepared by Dirk's Filet and Vine of Montgomery. 

CDE Awards

SLE President Thomas Ellis and ACA President Jim Akin will be awarding two monetary awards Thursday morning for the top Livestock Judging and Meat Judging Teams in the career development competitions for the FFA. 

Special Honor for Martha Davis

ACA Administrative Assistant Martha Davis is being named an honorary member of the Alabama FFA for her years of service to the organization. Martha helps plan and coordinate multiple events each year centered around the state convention, and for her work and dedication, she is becoming a member.

Career and Trade Show

ACA Director of Social Media and Communications Kayla Sellers and ACA intern Madison Tew will be manning a booth at the 2015 Alabama State FFA Convention Career and Trade Show. The two will be promoting beef, the AJCA Round-Up and handing out ACA and BEEF goodies to FFA members who stop by the booth. 

Three of Six State FFA Officers Members of AJCA

FFA State President Will Graves, FFA State Sentinel Colton Farley and FFA Reporter Clay Tew are not only state leaders, but they are outstanding members of the Alabama Junior Cattlemen's Association. We are proud of their accomplishments and wish them well during this surely stressful week! We can't wait to catch up with you guys at the Round-Up!

Be sure to check out our social media accounts and the Alabama Cattlemen to see pictures! We will be posting all week!

In Other News...

SLE Planning Meeting

This Thursday, June 11, the Southeastern Livestock Exposition officers will be meeting at the SLE headquarters to discuss the 2016 SLE Rodeo to be held March 17-19 at the Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery. Get excited because a year's worth of planning, promoting and coordinating goes into each rodeo! 

ACA Officer Meeting

2015 ACA Officers Jim Akin, Bill Lipscomb, Richard Meadows, L.D. Fitzpatrick and Dr. Billy Powell will be meeting to discuss upcoming events, changes and improvements to the many facets of the ACA. Look out for what they decide at the meeting, and remember that they're always working to better our state association and industry.

AJCA Round-Up Online Registration Now Open

Interested applicants can now register for this year's AJCA Round-Up to be held July 23-26 at the Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery online. AJCA dues must be paid before registration, but if that's already squared away, then sign up here.

Awesome Advertising Deal NOW through June 15

Our July magazine is the largest of the year, circulating to more than 20,000 homes and businesses. Our normal circulation is 12,000, but with viewership going up and advertising prices staying the same, you'll get more bang for your advertising buck, guaranteed! If you're interested in advertising in the Alabama Cattlemen, then now's the time. Contact Nicky Bechard at nbechard@bamabeef.org or (334) 265-1867 ON OR BEFORE June 15.

What's Going On Wednesday

The staff is staying busy around the Alabama Cattlemen's Association headquarters! Whether Erin is planning her next BEEF 101 session, Nicky is building next month's magazine or Selina is creating ways to enhance membership, there's always something happening to help make this organization better than before and to use your checkoff dollars in ways that will benefit you!

Check out #What'sGoingOn around the ACA this week.

Need a Bang for Your Advertising Buck? Look no further...

The month of June sneaked up on us all, which means that July is just around the corner! The Alabama Cattlemen magazine does a special issue each July, and by special we mean instead of mailing out the usual 12,000 copies statewide, we send more than 20,000 magazines to families and businesses in Alabama. 

What does this have to do with you? If you're looking to advertise your product, now's the time because while we increase our readership by more than 8,000 households, your cost of advertising remains the same. To spell that out- you get more for your money. Who doesn't want that?

If you're interested in advertising in July's Alabama Cattlemen, call Production Coordinator Nicky Bechard at (334) 265-1867 or email her at nbechard@bamabeef.org on or before June 15th.

AJCA Round-Up in Planning Overdrive

Summer intern Madison Tew is working diligently to make the 9th annual AJCA Round-Up the best yet! She's hoping participants can "Catch a Wave" and a great time at this year's show!

This week Madison is working on getting the awards made for this year's winners, and she's excited because next week we will be launching the online registration platform on the AJCA Round-Up website. Look out for that!

She encourages all who are interested in participating in this year's Round-Up to get your membership forms and dues in ASAP!

If you have any questions regarding the Round-Up, contact Madison at (334) 265-1867 or intern@bamabeef.org.

2015 AJCA Round-Up

July 23-26, 2015

Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery, AL

Beef 101

Director of Consumer Marketing Erin Beasley stays busy traveling across the state promoting beef and educating industry influencers (dietitians, retailers, chefs, teachers, food service operators, etc) about the beef product life cycle, a process we call "Pasture to Plate." One way she does that is through an educational program designed for influencers called Beef 101. 

Thanks to our partnership with Auburn University’s Department of Animal Sciences, superior facilities, high quality cattle and top-notch instructors are available for use in the live animal and beef carcass demonstrations of the program.

Feedback from previous Beef 101 participants has been very positive with many claiming they had never experienced a workshop where they were able to have a hands on demonstrations with live cattle, beef carcasses and retail cuts. 

Erin will be in Auburn Thursday, June 4 for a Beef 101 session with family and consumer sciences (FACS) teachers for the program.

If you're a cattle producer interested in getting involved in the education process of Beef 101, contact Erin Beasley at (334) 265-1867.

Beef Prices Explained

It's no secret that beef prices are at an all-time high right now, but as an association that represents Alabama's cattle producers, the ACA is loving this trend; however, we realize from a consumer standpoint that this can be frustrating.

Many ask, why in the world are prices so high right now? Well, here's a great video to explain what goes into the cost of retail beef.

MOOseum Happenings

Summer programs, day camps and kids free from the constraints of school hours keep the MOOseum full during the summer months! Whether a group scheduled a tour or a family popped in after grabbing lunch downtown, everyone's welcome to stop by and learn about Alabama's beef industry. 

Stop by and visit Dusty, Cowboy Slim and Jessica- they'd love to have you!

If you're interested in bring your group by, schedule an appointment with MOOseum Coordinator Jessica Kennedy by calling (334) 265-1867.