What's Going On Wednesday- June 15, 2016

It's been one of those weeks around the ACA. You know, the ones where you feel really busy and backed up with projects while nothing major is actually happening. The office is quiet this week as the staffers are at their desks gearing up for big projects ahead. For example, Dr. Powell and Martha Davis are planning the upcoming Executive Committee Meeting. Erin is planning upcoming beef promotions, while Kayla gets on building the new BamaBeef.org. Nicky is working on the largest magazine issue of the year, and Jessica is keeping things moooving smooth in The MOOseum. Cynthia is wearing many hats while she keeps membership up to date and keeps the bills paid around the office, and Madison is busy pulling together the 10th annual AJCA Round-Up! Keep reading to see what she and the rest of us are up to this week around the ACA...

AJCA Round-Up

Want to know more about the AJCA Round-Up? 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 and it working daily on all the details associated with this year's show! 

BamaBeef.org - Under Construction!

The new BamaBeef.org is OFFICIALLY under construction with a completion date set at none other than the August Board Meeting. 

Get excited as this new streamlined website will offer all the user-friendly functions of a modern site with a good, old-fashioned look! The plan is for it to become your #1 resource to anything related to Alabama's Beef Cattle Industry. 


Kayla and Erin met with their "coach" at the website designer to talk layout, design features, themes and functions this week. Kayla will begin training in the next week or two and will begin building the new site from the ground up after that! Stay tuned. 

Membership Report

The membership number of the day is 10,992 members of the ACA. We are SO close to 11,000, so send in your renewals!! 

Also, 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.

SLE Livestock Week Meeting

The SLE Executive Committee is meeting today to finalize major plans and dates for the 2017 60th annual SLE Rodeo! With such a big anniversary on the way, a great rodeo is in the works. 

Mark your calendars NOW to head to Garrett Coliseum March 16-18, 2017 for the Southeastern Livestock Exposition Rodeo. 

A Day on the Green

Dr. Billy Powell and Pike County cattleman Ed Whatley will spend the day out of the office Thursday and in the good, ole Alabama heat! It's for a good cause, though, as they will be participating in the 4-H Foundation Golf Tournament as the representatives for the ACA. Send them good thoughts tomorrow for accurate aim and long, straight drives. 

The MOOseum

The MOOseum is buzzing with activity from summer camps and day cares! We've got groups coming by to learn and play daily! 

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.

Speaking of The MOOseum, big plans are in the works for renovation, and we mean it! Dr. Billy Powell, Erin Beasley and Kayla Greer spent the entire day Tuesday making renovation plans and edits. Get ready for the same, great children's center with a fresh face! 

Army Worm Watch

Contributed by Dr. Kathy Flanders

Shane Middleton in Mobile County (dairy farm) reported late last week on an outbreak of army worms in some millet.  He indicated that they have populations that warranted spraying. He also indicated that a neighbor had them as well.

The Middleton farm is located in the far western edge of Mobile county and just across the line into Mississippi.

If you experience issues with army worms, contact your local Extension office to report.

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: July 29, 2015

The AJCA Round-Up is over and the final "thank you" letters are being sent today, and our staff is catching its breath from the busy weekend and gearing up for a busy month of August! Not too much exciting stuff is going on around the office this week, so for #WhatsGoingOnWednesday, we're going to do more of a #WhatsAheadWednesday! Check it out:

Beef Checkoff at the FACS Summer Conference

Erin Beasley is spending her day doing checkoff work in Birmingham as she runs a beef education course with Culinard Culinary School. This afternoon she will be talking
to Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) teachers during a breakout session at their summer conference. Erin will be presenting the new lesson plans for beef consumer education materials.

Alabama Legislature 

The special session reconvenes Monday, Aug. 3 and following the session at the State House, Ag Commissioner John McMillan with the Department of Ag and other ag organizations in the state are having a dinner meeting with house and senate leadership about topics discussed in the session. The dinner will be hosted at the Alabama Cattlemen's Association building, and ACA reps will be in attendance. 

What's Ahead?

While we catch our breath and unwind from the Round-Up, we are also preparing ourselves for the busy month ahead. August brings with it many important meetings that will have an effect on future events hosted by the ACA and the SLE. 

During August we will be having a SLE committee meetings to work out a schedule of events for the 2016 rodeo, and the Junior Beef Expo committee will be in to work on the 2016 state show in March during SLE season. Meetings to discuss and plan the remodeling the MOOseum will come back to life in hopes of taking some large steps toward updating the visitor's experience. Last but certainly not least, our Summer Board of Directors meeting will be on August 27 at the ACA building. 

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 15, 2015

Busy is an understatement this week as we lead into the Round-Up and planning for Fall events, meetings and campaigns is underway. Keep reading to see what the Cattlemen's staff is up to this week so you can stay in the know about #WhatsGoingOn around the ACA.

AJCA Round-Up

We are ONE week and ONE day away from the kickoff for the 2015 AJCA Round-Up held here in Montgomery at the Garrett Coliseum. ACA intern Madison Tew is working hard to finish up last minute details, plans and getting awards in and situated. We are excited for the Round-Up to finally be here, and we cannot wait to #CatchAWave with our more than 150 participants, over 200 cattle and 14 fun-filled contests!

For a tentative stall assignment list, view our 2015 AJCA Stall Assignment Google Sheet.

We are excited to announce that district board member nominations are in! Check out who's running for the AJCA Board of Directors: 

If you're interested in sponsoring this year's Round-Up, contact cberry@bamabeef.org.

Speaking of cberry@bamabeef.org, Who Is This Guy?

As of today, the ACA staff is excited to welcome its newest employee, and we are sure ACA and AJCA members are thrilled to finally find out who "the new Cobie" is! Well, it's Curt Berry from Saluda, South Carolina. A recent Clemson graduate with a degree in animal sciences who grew up on a cattle farm, Curt will serve the ACA as the Director of Industry Relations and Youth Activities. He comes from an experienced background in leadership as he was served on the Clemson SGA Senate, was Block and Bridle president and spent a year as a State FFA officer during high school. 

He will be responsible for the AJCA, the emerging leaders program and coordinating other youth livestock activities with State FFA and 4-H. He will also  help coordinate producer education programs as he is largely funded by the state beef checkoff program. 

Legislative Front

Following the Governor’s call for the Special Session of the Alabama Legislature to begin this past Monday rather than the “agreed” upon August date, the House and Senate convened and immediately adjourn until August 3^rd. This will give them three weeks to hopefully come up with an agreement on resolving the $200 million short fall in the General Fund. Dr. Powell, along with the other members of the Ag and Forestry Legislative Coalition members, met Tuesday to strategize plans for resolving the shortfall.  

2015 ACA Membership Numbers

The 2015 membership year is up at the ACA, and we ended the year with 11,860 members- 2067 new members and an increase of 293 members total from 2014! We would like to commend our largest chapters in the state:

    Limestone County      653 members
      Franklin County        591 members
      Lauderdale County    514 members
      Pike County                424 members
      Cullman County         421 members

We would also like to shout out our Auburn University Collegiate Cattlemen and Cattlewomen who had the largest percent increase in membership over the past year with 126.83% increase. Closely behind are Cherokee County (122.35%), Jefferson County (120%), Colbert County (119.51%) and Dekalb County (117.84%). 

It's a great membership year for ACA, but let's break 12,000 in 2016!

Alabama's Best Steak contest nominations rolling in

Visit www.AlabamasBestSteak.com to nominate your favorite Alabama steakhouse who serves an awesome ribeye steak. We already have 3,546 nominations that account for 143 Alabama restaurants! Keep the nominations coming in and get ready to gear up for the Sizzlin' 16 bracket challenge beginning August 3. 

Stockyard Checkoff Update and Promotional Items

Alabama stockyards will receive a checkoff update and box of promotional items this week. Boxes will contain an introduction to new staff at the ACA, an update on summer promotions, new beef brochures and the newly printed 2014 checkoff annual reports. Any stockyards interested in receiving more of these items can contact the office for another shipment.

Randolph County Cattlemen's Association Field Day 

When: Thursday, July 16 at 4:30 p.m.

Where: Whelan Farms (15418 Alabama Highway 77 Wadley, AL 36276)

What: Tour Whelan Farms and learn about thier seedstock operation. Following the farm tour will be a dinner served at 6:30 p.m.

Monroe County Cattlemen's Association Field Day 

What: Summer tour and hamburger supper
When: Thursday, July 23, 2015
The tour will be leaving the Farmers Coop in Frisco City @ 1:00 p.m., and the first tour will start in Clarke County and the meal will follow at Dickson Farm in Thomasville @ 6:30.

For more info call Ronnie Joe Jordan or Tim Tucker. Contact ksellers@bamabeef.org for their contact information.

NCBA Graduate Scholarship

"The National Cattlemen’s Foundation is honoring the successful career of the late W.D. Farr of Greeley, Colorado through two $12,000 graduate scholarships bearing his name. We lost a true industry leader and friend with W.D.'s passing on August 13, 2007, at the age of 97. Farr, a third generation Coloradan, pioneer rancher, statesman and banker is known for his extraordinary vision. His dedication to improving agriculture, livestock and water development has resulted in significant changes in farming methods that have influenced the practices of ranchers and farmers throughout the nation. You need:

-Cover Letter
-Curriculum Vitae – a summary of your educational and academic background, resume
-Description of applicant’s professional goals and leadership experience
-Statement of belief in the industry
-Review of applicant’s graduate research
-Three letters of recommendation (at least one letter must be from a person within the applicant’s department, college or university)"

Visit their website to apply. 

As always, we encourage ACA members to purchase a Alabama Cowboy Tag to support the funding of scholarships for Alabama youth. BUYU1 today! 

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: July 1, 2015

It's a whirlwind week at the ACA- meetings, deadlines and kickoffs galore! We hope you're ready to hear #What'sGoingOn this Wednesday around the Alabama Cattlemen's headquarters in beautiful downtown Montgomery.

AJCA Round-Up Registration Deadline TODAY

Today's your last chance to register your child for the 2015 AJCA Round-Up to be held at Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery on July 23-26! This year's theme is "Catch a Wave." Online registration can be submitted here. 

Contests for the Round-Up include: Career Development, Showmanship, Sales Talk, Skill-A-Thon, Team Grooming, Build a Better Burger, Volleyball, Photography, Poster, Record Book,
Essay, Ad Design, Public Speaking and Cattle Judging

2015 ACA Membership

It was ACA's goal to reach 12,000 members during 2015, and we are SO CLOSE. If you or your friends and family haven't paid your dues yet, now's the time! Help us reach our goal and get some great benefits in return. Register online or check out our member benefits on our website. 

Alabama's Best Steak Contest

Alabama’s Best Steak contest kicks off TODAY (July 1) at noon. Visit www.AlabamasBestSteak.com to submit your nomination for your favorite Alabama steakhouse who serves an outstanding ribeye! 

July 1-31: Kickoff round for nominations. 

August 3-10: Sizzlin' 16 bracket challenge. 

August 11-17: Enticing 8 bracket challenge. 

August 18-24: Final 4 bracket challenge. 

September: a panel of judges will anonymously visit to judge taste, tenderness and juiciness. 

Beginning of October: Winners will be announced to kick off Alabama's Beef Month!

Sysco Central Alabama Spring Promotion

Pictured from R-L is the winner of the Big Green Egg 
Craig Smitherman, CEO of Sysco Central Alabama
David Dickson and Vice President of Sales Danny Ralph

The results are in from the Sysco Central Alabama spring promotion, and they are remarkable! Sysco salesmen were charged with selling the most beef they could during May and June, in efforts to win a Big Green Egg smoker, funded by the Alabama Beef Checkoff program.  The final numbers showed an unprecedented 127,000-pound increase in beef over sales from last May and June.