Fall Army Worm Update

UPDATE: ARMY WORMS ARE NOW BEING REPORTED STATEWIDE


The Alabama Cooperative Extension System has updated a new interactive tool for cattlemen and hay producers to use in locating available armyworm sweep nets and also to track the emergence of armyworms across Alabama.

Almost all county extension offices in the state have sweep nets available for use, as well as all Regional Animal Science and Forage Extension agents, and many cattlemen throughout the state. To see which cattlemen have nets, please go to:
http://maps.acesag.auburn.edu/Alabama_Armyworm_Watch/default.aspx 
There is a little "i" button on the top menu bar.  Click that, then click on the county you are interested in, and you will see the cattlemen who have sweep nets. In the future, this map will reflect where armyworms have been detected.

The you tube video on how to use a sweep net is ready, it can be found at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qwg3TP9INo

The next step: making sure we communicate where fall armyworm problems have been found, so everyone  will be aware they need to get out and start looking for armyworms. When you hear of where and when an armyworm infestation has been located, please relay that information to Extension Entomologist Dr. Kathy Flanders at Auburn University (334-844-6393 or flandkl@auburn.edu)

The first installment of a two part article on fall armyworms appeared in the Alabama Cattleman magazine in June, with part two published in the July issue.

Current chemicals registered for fall armyworm can be found in the forage IPM Guide:
http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-0500-A/VOL1-2011/forage.pdf 
or in the fall armyworm circular:
http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-1019/ 
The IPM guide lists one insecticide, a premix of Karate and Coragen called VOLIAM XPRESS, which is NOT available in Alabama.  That premix will be marketed under a different name in Alabama, but the state label is still pending.

National BBQ Tour Visits Alabama

Recently, the Inaugural Sam's Club National BBQ Tour made a stop in Alabama. Competition was tough but the slow smoked beef, pork, and chicken was anything but.

The National $1 Beef Checkoff played a role in the event and put the beef we love on center stage. Hungry consumers had the opportunity to interact with "Grill Master" Michael McDearman and sample some delicious brisket, ribeye steak, and strip steak.

To see a listing of winners from the competition, click here.

Below is a collection of photos from the event:







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Who has Alabama's Best Burger?

Voting is underway in a new contest being hosted by the Alabama Cattlemen's Association to decide Alabama's Best Burger. Anyone can vote for their favorite restaurant in Alabama who they think serves the best burger in their state.

To vote now, please click here.

Complete contest rules are listed below:



Qualifying Burgers: 
‐ Burger restaurant must be in the state of Alabama.
‐ Burgers must be made of 100% ground beef and must be in patty form.  
‐ Burgers may contain any form of condiment, sauce, spice, or topping as long as the patty is made solely of beef (no mixtures of beef, poultry, etc.) and is served on a bun or bread product.
-Every component of burger must be placed between the bun or bread pieces, or served open-faced on a bread product.

Methods of Voting: 
‐ Voting can be done by visiting bamabeef.org and clicking the “Alabama’s Best Burger” icon.

Rules:
‐ Voting will go on from July 21, 2011 to September 30, 2011 at 12:00 PM and can be submitted online by visiting www.bamabeef.org and clicking on “AL Best Burger” icon.
-Only one vote per person is allowed

Judging:
‐ A team of judges will conduct on-site burger tasting after the “Top 5” is announced.

Burgers will be judged based on: 
o Appearance
o Taste
o Proper Cooking

Winner Receives:
- Publicity and write-up in The Alabama Cattleman magazine
‐ Statewide press release announcing winners
‐ Trophy or display to put in restaurant to advertise that you won “Alabama’s Best Burger” contest.




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Upcoming Features in The Alabama Cattlemen

Readers of The Alabama Cattleman magazine can look to the upcoming months of August and September for features of two major events.

The August magazine will feature full coverage from the July 21st meeting of the Alabama Cattlemen's Association Board of Directors. This meeting saw dozens of membership prizes and awards given away to cattlemen across the state. Winners of the John Deere Gator, Priefert chute, and PAC gun drawing will be pictured.

Also, the September issue of The Alabama Cattleman will feature all the winners from all 3 days of the 5th Annual AJCA Round-Up. This year's Round-Up was great with over 160 kids, over 200 cattle, and over 275 total participants.

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2 Ways to Advertise Online with ACA

Now, cattlemen and allied industry partners have two ways to advertise online with the Alabama Cattlemen's Association.

Online Banner Ads:

Website banner ads appear on the homepage of the Alabama Cattlemen's Association' website, bamabeef.org. These online advertisements are an opportunity for those who advertise in the Alabama Cattleman magazine to get extra recognition and even direct site visitors to their own site or page via a direct hyperlink. This online opportunity is only available to current magazine advertisers. The homepage of ACA's website is typically viewed more than 125 times per day. 

Email Blasts *NEW*

Email blasts are a way for magazine advertisers to extend their exposure by more than 25% through access to ACA's database of email subscribers. This online opportunity is only available to current magazine advertisers. The ACA email subscriber database currently contains ±3,000 subscribers. Ads appearing in the Alabama Cattleman can be resized and formatted to 500x600 pixels and sent out as electronic images that, when clicked, direct potential customers to a specific web page. 

For pricing information, click here

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