Arkansas Cattlemen's Leadership Course Fourth Session
The fourth session of the Arkansas Cattlemen’s Leadership Course (ACLC) was held on September 10-11, 2024, at the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute. Participants gathered for advocacy and media training led by Chandler Mulvaney, Director of Grassroots Advocacy & Spokesperson Development at NCBA.
During the session, ACLC members learned key advocacy strategies and underwent media training, gaining valuable insights on how to handle tough questions about the cattle and beef industry. They had the opportunity to put their new skills to the test by participating in mock media interviews.
After recording their responses, the group watched and critiqued each video alongside Mulvaney, using the feedback to improve their messaging and delivery.
Mulvaney emphasized the importance of connecting with people outside the agriculture industry by showing that we care about the issues they raise and can address them, using personal stories to build understanding.
Planning Meetings
On September 13th the ACA Executive Committee met to discuss long-range planning and big-picture goals for the Association as we prepare to enter 2025.
On September 20th the ACA staff and leadership met with membership recruiters from all over the state to prepare for the next membership year. The purpose of this meeting was to brainstorm and discuss potential membership recruitment prizes and programs. All programming and prizes will be presented and voted on at the December board meeting.
Individual Prizes:
A monthly incentive program was proposed, aiming to award at least three prizes each month, with three of the six months’ prizes already finalized. Additionally, individual recruiting prizes were discussed: such as gifts for recruiting one or more members to ACA. Other ideas included a prize for the top recruiter in each area, a recruitment drawing for a donated side-by-side, and a gate drawing, where each recruited member earns entries.
Member Benefits:
The meeting also addressed current and potential new member benefits, emphasizing the importance of local county recruiters to assist in making local connections.
Convention Coverage
The September issue of the Arkansas Cattle Business magazine featured a full coverage of our Annual Convention and Trade Show! However, we're excited to share that the coverage does not end there - we have uploaded pictures from the event at this link, https://www.flickr.com/photos/201363967@N05/albums/72177720320770255/.
Looking Ahead to October
ACA staff and leaders are excited to be hitting the road attending county meetings, production sales, field days, and other events! If you have an upcoming event please reach out to the office at 501-224-2114 or noralee@arbeef.org to let us know. We would love to attend and include it on our calendar.
We're also preparing, as are many of our members, for the Arkansas Youth Expo and the Arkansas State Fair. We're once again excited to host the Pen Heifer Show on Wednesday, October 9th, in conjunction with ASF. We hope to see you there!
As always, thank you for your membership and please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions.