Rain, rain go away. Come again another day!
Sheesh…don’t you know its true!? There’s one meme out there that says “Alabama is no longer a state. You can refer to it as Lake Alabama.” That’s about right as we continue on with another stretch of rain and flooding… Not to worry you, but we saw two of each kind of animal lining up earlier today….
While you fight the rain, mud and flooding, we are canoeing our way to the office each day to get all the many projects and programs we’ve got lined up as we head into the spring months! Avoid the wet weather and keep reading about all that’s going on at the ACA.
SADDLE UP FOR THE SLE RODEO
We are just 15 days out from the first performance of 2020! Buck on over
to www.SLERodeo.com/Tickets now to secure your seats at the greatest show on dirt! This year’s show is sure to please as we’re featuring freestyle bullfighting, the best stock in the PRCA, all kinds of children’s events and hometown rodeo clown, Trent McFarland! We’ve got some awesome ticket deals available for you to take advantage of, so don’t wait. Get on over to www.SLERodeo.com to learn more about all that SLE Livestock Week offers and to purchase your tickets today! And don’t forget- we offer group ticket sales to groups of 25+ members.
Our ticket sales guru, Sydney Dougherty, is the friendly voice you’ll hear when you call 888-2RODEO2 and now through rodeo time, you can find her here at the office selling tickets during the drive time, 5-7 p.m. and during the lunch hour. Can’t call her during your work day? No big deal— find her here when you have time!
Last week’s SLE Rodeo Media Kickoff Luncheon was a success! We welcomed in around 20 groups of media and hit them up with all the details about the rodeo coming to town! Speaking of media, we are at full launch with advertising and marketing with the rodeo. With Super Tuesday behind us, folks can kick the election ads and check out our rodeo pieces! We’ve heard lots of compliments from billboards to radio commercials— and matched with a full-on social media marketing plan, our website has received over 6,500 visits in the past month alone. That’s great news for us and for our many sponsors, who are now featured on our homepage. Be listening and watching out as our media interview calendar for radio and tv is filling up fast!
Sponsors continue to roll in, and we are down to the nuts and bolts of executing this year’s event. If you’d like to take part in our Wrangler voucher program— where if you spend $70+ on Wrangler jeans, you can get a ticket to the show— you can find those vouchers available at Sikes & Kohns, Camo Country and Bridges Western Wear.
Beef’s Seat at the Sustainability Panel
This week, ACA Director of Education & Outreach Ali Cantrell and checkoff-contracted registered dietitian Elesha Ergl attended the Nutrition and Dietetic Educators and Preceptors Central Region Spring Meeting in Birmingham. Nutritionists from all over the United States and locally in Alabama attended this meeting hosted by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Ali and Elesha had the opportunity to sit in on a panel to discuss sustainability in the foodservice system, specifically the beef production system. They were able to teach the attendees how producers practice sustainability techniques to ensure that they are productive stewards of the land.
2020 SPRING YOUTH PRODUCTION FIELD DAY
Information is now available on the 2020 Spring Youth Production Field Day 
being hosted on April 18 at Quail Valley Farms in Oneonta, AL (Blount County). Youth will enjoy a variety of educational topics from EPDs to cattle judging and from ultrasound scanning to a farm tour. Lunch will be provided at this FREE youth event, and it is brought to all youth of our state by the Alabama Beef Checkoff Program. Registration for this event is NOW OPEN. Learn more » www.BamaBeef.org/FieldDay
ACA MEMBERSHIP UPDATE
As of today, the ACA is proud to represent 6,894 members in the 2020 year 
and counting as county meetings are still happening, although the calendar is lightening up. That puts us at over 70% for the year, but we aren’t stopping until we reach 10,000!! Following the annual meetings, leaders, we as that you send in county leader contact information so we can update it on our website in our records!
A couple of deadlines to remember as we get deeper into the year:
- Early Bird Membership Drawing: March 31, 2020
- Over the Top Red Coat Deadline: June 30, 2020
- Top Hand Recruiting Deadline: December 31, 2020
ProStart Invitational
Next week, staffer Ali Cantrell will be traveling to Orange Beach for the ProStart Invitational Cook-off. As a sponsor of this event, we will be able to meet with potential culinary students to educate them about beef cooking techniques and the beef production system. We also be presenting the contestants with the Best Beef Dish Award!
Speaking of, beef Cook-offs are underway throughout Alabama! Ali is preparing for our Alabama Jr. & Sr. High School Beef Cook-off on April 4. If your county has hosted a local beef cook-off, be sure to get your winners registered on our website at www.bamabeef.org/events/2020/alabama-juniorsenior-high-school-cookoff and contact Ali Cantrell if you have any questions.
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