What's Going On Wednesday- June 1, 2016

Well hello June! 

When did the past five months happen? If anybody knows, please call and tell us because we can't believe that the summer months are already here! We hope this week's blog post finds our cattlemen staying relatively cool and probably in the cab of a tractor pulling a hay baler. It's that time of year, so hit that tractor into auto pilot, kick back and enjoy finding out what's going on at the ACA this week! 

Bama's Best Beef Winner Announced!

West End Grill’s “Tot Roast” has been named “Bama’s Best Beef” after two months of social media promotion! After last week’s final round which generated over 1000 reactions, more than 100 shares and 139 comments, the Tot Roast was named the winner Friday, May 27 at 9 p.m. over the contest’s other finalist, Deano’s Grill’s “Deano Burger.”

The West End Grill owners and staff will be presented with a

plaque and on-site media conference directed by Alabama Cattlemen’s Association leadership and staff. We encourage all Huntsville-area members to visit West End Grill and offer your congratulations! Erin and Kayla certainly can't wait to try the dish themselves!

As described by the restaurant’s menu, the Tot Roast is, “crispy fried tater tots smothered in [West End Grill’s] Mississippi pot roast, cheese and gravy. One hundred percent Angus beef is slow roasted with a secret blend of spices and layered on top pepperoncinis and sticks of real butter, all to make the pot roast.” 

AJCA Round-Up

Want to know more about the AJCA Round-Up? Well you can know TODAY! All information for this year's show is available on our website, including links to registration! Don't forget, you must be a paid AJCA member in order to compete in the Round-Up. Join Today

Learn more, sign up and get ready for the 10th annual AJCA Round-Up to be held July 21-24 at Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery. We can't wait to see all our favorite Juniors, and they'll want to be there because Round-Up Coordinator Madison Tew has ordered some amazing prizes! 

Membership 

The membership number of the day is 10,849 members of the ACA. The renewal drive is over, and we will draw for the winner of the $500 beef certificate on June 8. Stay tuned! 

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

Don't Miss Your Chance to Advertise!

The July issue of the Alabama Cattleman offers you the opportunity to maximize your advertising dollars and target your audience with this special magazine issue.

Since 1958, cattle producers have used this informative publication to help keep them abreast of industry happenings and learn about managing their business. Our readers are one of the largest purchasers of equipment, fencing materials, bulls, replacement heifers, semen, animal health supplies, chemicals, guns, ATV’s, boots, farmland and so much more. 

The July issue will be a special one, as it will be mailed to over 17,000 cattle producers and industry-related individuals across the state including the 12,000 members of the ACA. This special issue will include numerous educational feature articles and will be used as a reference for months to come. Please contact Nicky to reserve your space in the July issue by June 10th!   

AJCA Round-UP

BQA Mail Outs

Have you gotten BQA certified at an on-site training program this year? If so, be on the lookout for your certificate and bumper sticker in the mail. ACA Director of Checkoff Programs Erin Beasley got those put together and mailed out last week! 

Congrats and great job to our Alabama cattle producers who have become BQA certified! 

Cash for CAFOs

The Alabama Cattlemen's Association with be meeting Thursday morning alongside Alabama Farmers Federation Poultry Producers representatives at the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM). The primary focus of this meeting is to discuss funding for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, or CAFOs. Over $400,000 was added to the ADEM budget to offset CAFO expenses by the department, and this meeting will help determine a budget for this allowance. 

Make Way for a New BamaBeef.org 

You heard it right, a new ACA website is in the works! Erin Beasley and ACA Director of Social Media and Communications Kayla Greer had a conference call with our representative to get the paperwork in hand to launch the website redesign project.

Kayla has her sights set on this being her major project for the summer, and she hopes for an August launch date! The team of website designers are on board to help her reach that goal! Hmmm...maybe by the Summer Board Meeting? 

Engaging Post of the Week

The popularity of our Facebook is growing, as you may remember from the social media alert on last week's blog post! Last week we celebrated reaching 8,000 followers, and this week that number has already grown to 8,400. 

Even more exciting than that, however, is the popularity of a single post from this week! On Sunday, we posted the picture you see to the right. It reads, "Do not educate children to be rich. Educate them to be happy, so when they grow up they know the value of things, not the price." Pretty picture, pretty quote, pretty big numbers!! 

To date, this post has reached over 145,000 people through the power of liking, sharing and commenting. It has received over 7,000 reactions, over 1,600 shares, 172 comments and 3,800 post clicks. That's huge!

Think about it. That's 145,000 people who have been exposed to the ACA and our message just this week at NO cost to us. Thanks, Facebook! 

View Our Page 

The MOOseum

Schools are out. Temperatures are rising. Children are getting bored at home. 

We know how it goes, but we also know that The MOOseum is ready and waiting for your family to learn and play. Learn about beef cattle, sit on saddles, play in Cowboy Slim's kitchen and dress up like a rough-and-tumble cowboy for the afternoon. 

Book a tour for groups or just walk on in for individual families. We are located at 201 S. Bainbridge Street Montgomery, AL 36104. Got questions? Call 265-1867 or email Jessica. 

SASDA

Looking slightly ahead to next week, Dr. Powell will be spending his Sunday and Monday with the Southern Association of State Departments of Agriculture. Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture John McMillan serves as president this year and has invited Dr. Powell to speak at their Monday morning meeting. He will be speaking to 16 different states agricultural leaders on the Alabama beef industry and the impact of the checkoff dollars used to answer the question, "Where does my food come from?" 

Joint Meeting Ahead

The agenda is being made for the upcoming joint meeting of the ACA Executive Committee and the Alabama Cattlemen's Foundation Board. Just as a reminder, that meeting will be held June 21. 

What's Going On Wednesday: May 25, 2016

May is quickly slipping away, and we are excited for what summertime brings with it. We've had a successful spring season at the ACA with many fun events, promotions, meetings and new faces in the office, but it's time to light up the grill and take in the Alabama heat for an exciting few months ahead.

Before we get into June, though, we've got to wrap up May! These past couple of weeks have been a great time for your state staff to play catch up and do a little housekeeping after several busy months. This week is no exception, but we're still here promoting beef, recruiting members and keeping our eye on the state cattle industry. Keep reading to find out what's going on around the ACA this week.

Membership

The membership number of the day is 10,758 members of the ACA, but we've got a deal that non-renews just can't pass up. Renew now through June 1 and be sure to include your email address in the contact information. We will host a drawing for our newest renewal memberships on June 8th for a $500 beef certificate. Yes, if you renew for only $50 today, you could get $500 back! That's a deal! 

If you aren't sure if you've renewed or not, you'll know soon. Membership Coordinator Sara Goen is working on getting statements out to those who have not yet renewed.

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

Make Way for Madison

It comes as no surprise to us that the 10th annual AJCA Round-Up is in great hands with summer intern and Round-Up organizer Madison Tew. After only a week in the office, she's really hit the ground running and making way to a great Round-Up. 

AJCA Directors meet in the ACA
Board Room about the upcoming
10th annual Round-Up.

This week alone, she's already met with State Veterinarian Dr. Tony Frazier and Garrett Coliseum staff to discuss registration and identification rules as well as the layout and venue expectations for this year's show. If that's not enough, she also met with a few of the AJCA Directors Tuesday afternoon to review Round-Up rules, discuss ideas for awards and got some information from them to use on social media throughout this summer. Madison will put the final touches on the rules and start ordering awards today. 

The theme of this year's Round-Up is "It's A Winning Tradition" in honor of the show's tenth anniversary year. Join us July 21-24 at Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery to support the future of Alabama's livestock industry. If you're interested in getting involved, sponsoring the event or have any questions, contact Madison Tew by email or by calling (334) 265-1867. 

More information on the show will be available June 1 at BamaBeef.org. 

Beef for Father's Day

Today, the Alabama CattleWomen's Association leadership team will be joining the ACA staff at the Capitol for a "Beef for Father's Day" Proclamation signing. Gov. Robert Bentley will sign off that beef is the official meat of this upcoming Father's Day and will be presented with a platter of ribeye steaks. 

Memorial Day Ahead

Before we start celebrating Father's Day, though, we've got an important holiday coming up this weekend! The ACA office will be closed Monday, May 30 in recognition of the Memorial Day holiday. We would like to extend our thoughts and gratitude to all who mourn the loss of a loved one on foreign soil protecting American's rights.  

On the lighter side of the upcoming weekend, it's a great time for beef producers because Memorial Day weekend is the [unofficial] kickoff to summertime grilling and is the hamburger grilling holiday of the year. What will you have on the grill this weekend?
If you need some help with recipes, we've got one here you've got to try! Spicy Cheeseburger Sliders (We suggest closing them in on a delicous King's Hawaiian Roll! That's our secret to make this recipe over-the-top delicious!) 

Bama's Best Beef Final Four Announced

The two finalists for the Bama's Best Beef spring promotion have been announced! Congratulations to West End Grill of Hunstville and Deano's Grill of Jacksonville! These two are now battling it out in a Facebook photo LIKE challenge for the title of Bama's Best Beef, and right now, West End Grill's "Tot Roast" is taking the lead. 

These restaurants aren't the only ones seeing benefits from this promotion. The Alabama Cattlemen's Facebook page has gained over 300 new likes and are reaching over 100,000 people weekly at a very low advertising cost!  This is great news and encouraging to see all the positive comments about our favorite protein, beef! 

Check out the Alabama Cattlemen's Association Facebook page to participate in the contest. Find the first post on our page and LIKE the picture that looks and sounds the tastiest to you! The winner will be determined Friday evening and will later be presented with a plaque, yearlong bragging rights and an on-site media conference!

Best of luck! Check out these mouthwatering finalists: 

West End Grill's "Tot Roast"
2016 Bama's Best Beef Finalist

Deano's Grill's "Deano Burger"
2016 Bama's Best Beef Finalist

Social Media Alert!

Every December, Dr. Billy Powell meets with ACA staff for a year-end review and to set goals for the year ahead. ACA's Director of Social Media and Communications Kayla Greer set a goal last December to get the Facebook page followership to at least 8,000 "likes" by Dec. 2016. 

Well, it's an exciting day at the ACA because that goal has been reached seven months ahead of schedule! This is great news as we have the ability to tell our cattlemen's beef stories and promote beef products to over 8,000 people daily! Thanks to all who have interacted on the Facebook page- keep up the good work! Now, on to 9,000...

A Busy June Outlook

We have a busy June calendar ahead. Just to keep you informed about where you can find ACA leadership and staff, here's a list:

• June 8-9: State FFA Convention 
• The FFA Wall of Honor Luncheon will be hosted in the Cattlemen’s Building and Dr. Billy Powell, treasurer of Alabama FFA Foundation, is working to prepare financials for upcoming Board meeting. 
• The ACA is sponsoring the Ag County Agents statewide meeting in Guntersville.
• ACA is a sponsoring and Dr. Powell will be speaking at the Southern Ag Commissioners Conference in Point Clear. 
• Lastly, a final agenda for a joint meeting of the Alabama Cattlemen’s’ Foundations and ACA Executive Committee is being completed. This meeting will be held at Central Alabama Sysco in Calera. 

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.

What's Going On Wednesday: February 10, 2016

WHEW! The staffers had mentally prepared for a busy first few months of 2016 but WOW, things are moving quickly. It's all good, exciting things taking place here at the ACA, so keep reading to find out #WhatsGoingOn this Wednesday around the ACA. 

Membership Update

Total membership for 2016 to date is 7,092! Help us reach our goal of 12,000 members! This month is your final opportunity to renew or join at the $30 rate. The dues increase will take effect on March 1st. 

Dates to remember for membership- Feb. 26 is the final chance for your county to go "Over the Top" by five members to qualify for the President's red coat. Congrats to Colbert and Sumter counties who have already gone "Over the Top." Steve James from Colbert County has been hard at working recruiting members, and with the help from his Board, they have gone over by 15 with 162 members! Sumter County also has a new president, Sid Nelson, and is over by eight with 94 members! Good work getting your membership up this year!

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. 

This Week's County Meetings:
Thursday, Feb. 11: Baldwin, 6pm
                               Autauga, 6pm
                               Washington
Friday, Feb. 12: Calhoun, 6pm
                           Pickens

Learn more by viewing the Cattlemen's Calendar. 

Legislative Front

ACA's lobbyist Dr. Billy Powell is monitoring the Legislative Session during the second week. In just two short weeks, over 200 bills have been introduced, and that's why it's important to have an Association representative monitoring and protecting your livelihood while you continue to invest in it. To donate to the PAC, click here.

The Ag Legislative Coalition met Tuesday in the ACA Board Room. The Coalition is watching discussions on raising fuel taxes to be sure that rural bridges and roads are a top priority.

Also on Tuesday, Dr. Powell participated in the Alabama Agribusiness Council Board meeting and Legislative Reception.

SLE Rodeo Kickoff Media Luncheon

Don Gay from Frontier Rodeo Co. as
he is interviewed by WSFA

Wednesday was a busy day as the ACA staff put on its SLE staff hat to help coordinate and operate the SLE membership meeting and the Kickoff Media Luncheon. Fifty-nine members of the Montgomery media enjoyed a delicious steak meal, got the details about the SLE Rodeo Week and heard eight-time world champion bull rider Don Gay talk about the plans to produce one of the best rodeos east of the Mississippi. We appreciate Don for flying in for today's meeting!

View more pics from the event on the SLE Rodeo Facebook Page.

ACA Convention and Trade Show

ACA officers and staff are finalizing plans for the “Iron City Beef Bash” coming up 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, then now's the time! Pre-registration, which would sign you up for meals, closes February 18.

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! Other entertainment and a photo booth sponsored by the Southeastern Livestock Expo will be available as well!

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 January's issue of the Alabama Cattleman and there will be more in February's upcoming issue. Register online or by mail today by clicking the link above. Reserve your room at the Sheraton: CLICK HERE or call 205-324-500 BEFORE Feb. 21!

(Group code: AL CATTLEMEN'S ASSOCIATION)

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.

Social Media Contest

You have until THIS FRIDAY to "share" this picture on the SLE Rodeo Facebook page to earn a chance to win two tickets to this year's Friday night rodeo! Don't miss out on this great opportunity! 

Click Here to Share

What's Going On Wednesday: Feb. 3, 2016

Rain, rain go away. Our cattlemen have cattle to feed today. 

We hope that all fared through this line of heavy storms well and that damages (if any) were minimal. It's a busy week as usual around the office and there's still a lot to get handled before we head north to Birmingham for Convention at the end of this month. Where, oh where, did January go? 

Keep reading to catch up with #WhatsGoingOn this rainy Wednesday around the ACA Building:

Membership Update

Total membership for 2016 to date is 6,646. This month is your final opportunity to renew or join at the $30 rate. The dues increase will take effect on March 1st. 

Dates to remember for membership. Feb. 26 is the final chance for your county to go "Over the Top" by five members to qualify for the President's red coat. 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. 

This Week's County Meetings:
Thursday, Feb. 4: Cherokee, 6pm
                             Mobile, 7pm
                             Henry, 6:30pm
                             Tallapoosa, 6pm
                             Chambers, 6:30pm CST
Friday, Feb. 5:     Dale
Saturday, Feb. 6: Russell, 6pm EST
                            Choctaw, 6pm 
                            Fayette, 7pm 
                            Elmore, 6pm

Learn more by viewing the Cattlemen's Calendar. 

Legislative Front

The 2016 Legislative Session got underway Tuesday, and we expect another battle on the General Fund budget. There is very little support for increasing revenue so more cuts in agency funding appear to be on the table. President Jim Akin and Dr. Billy Powell listened closely to Governor Bentley’s “State of the State” address Tuesday evening, especially as he talked about plans to strengthen rural Alabama.

Did You Say the Cow Herd is Rebuilding?

We sure did...The nation’s cowherd is rebuilding after a downslide that bottomed out in 2014, according to the USDA’s January 1 inventory. The inventory showed that all cattle and calves in the U.S. totaled 92 million head, a 3% increase above the 89.1 million head on January 1, 2015.

In Alabama, cattle and calves showed an increase of 50,000 head as of January 1, making the new count 1.25 million head-

a whopping 104% increase. The increase also was reflected in beef cows and heifers that have calved. That number jumped three percent to 673,000 head, representing 21,000 more beef cows in the state.

Lauderdale County Cattle Rustling

In light of the unfortunate calf butchering occurrences that have taken place on Lauderdale County cattle operations, the ACA urges state cattlemen and cattlewomen to remember the Cattle Theft Reward member benefit.

The ACA offers a Cattle Theft Reward program that prizes $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone stealing or destroying cattle on ACA member property. In order to qualify for the reward program, the following conditions must be met:

• The owner of the stolen/destroyed cattle must be a member in good standing of the ACA. 
• One or more of the ACA “No Trespassing” signs must have been posted on the farm at the time of the offense. 
• Applications for the award must be filed with the ACA within 30 days after the final conviction for the person stealing or destroying the cattle. 
• The president of the county chapter in which the cattle were stolen must certify that all of these rules and regulations were complied with.

It is important to note that law enforcement officers, stockyard employees or owners, part owners or employees of the cattle stolen or destroyed are not eligible of the reward. 

The ACA offers tips to its members that help deflect cattle rustling on Alabama farms. These tips include tattooing and branding cattle for the purpose of identification instead of relying solely on ear tagging, ensuring that the brand used is registered with the Stockyards & Brands Division of the Department of Agriculture and keeping detailed records on the type, description and number of cattle in each location. Other useful tips include locating loading pens away from highways, never keeping cattle penned overnight and varying the times of checking on or feeding cattle to keep employees, neighbors and others from noticing a pattern in daily routines.

Auburn Ag Alumni Wall of Honor

Dr. Billy Powell is headed to Auburn Thursday to be there in support of friends getting introduced onto the Auburn Ag Alumni Wall of Honor. Past ACA president Wayne Thames and longtime colleagues Jim Cravey and Dr. Stanley Wilson are being inducted. Barbour County cattlemen Walter Sonny Corcoran and longtime professor in Department of Animal Science and Alabama Livestock Hall of Fame member, Dr. Ralph Harris, are also being inducted posthumously.

ACA Convention and Trade Show

President Akin and Dr. Billy will go over final plans for the “Iron City Beef Bash” coming up in Birmingham while Jim is in Montgomery for the Legislative Session. The two, along with the rest of the state officer team and staffer Curt Berry, have been busy traveling across the state to visit county Annual Meetings to give updates on state programs and happenings. 

If you haven't registered for the 73rd annual ACA Convention and Trade Show, then now's the time! Pre-registration, which would sign you up for meals, closes February 18.

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! Other entertainment and a photo booth sponsored by the Southeastern Livestock Expo will be available as well!

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 January's issue of the Alabama Cattleman and there will be more in February's upcoming issue. Register online or by mail today by clicking the link above. Reserve your room at the Sheraton: CLICK HERE or call 205-324-500 BEFORE Feb. 21!

(Group code: AL CATTLEMEN'S ASSOCIATION)

Social Media Update

The ACA's online presence and popularity has really taken a leap! On Tuesday, the ACA Facebook page celebrated reaching 6,000 likes, a 2,000 likes increase from May 2015. With weekly consumer-and-producer-targeted posts, this means the ACA is spreading the good word about beef and cattle production to more than 6,000 daily! It's Director of Social Media Kayla Greer's goal to have 8,000 likes by year-end. 

If you don't already "like" us, click here and do so! Enter our contests to win awesome, beefy prizes and follow our daily posts to learn more about the industry and about our favorite protein, beef!

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.