January 9, 2026 • 40 mins
Host Michael Smith sits down with producer and Alabama Beef Checkoff Council member Bill Walding, along with guest Bailey Watson, to discuss the Alabama Beef Checkoff—how it works, how funds are allocated across programs, and the goals of the 2026 marketing plan.
This episode covers 2026 priorities and budget adjustments, consumer outreach efforts (including digital and e-commerce advertising), youth programs, producer-focused initiatives, and research investments—highlighting the long-term value of checkoff investments.
To view the 2026 Alabama Beef Checkoff Marketing Plan, visit BamaBeef.org/Checkoff.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to Cattle Connect, your insight into Alabama's beef cattle industry.
(00:08):
I'm your host, Michael Smith, and this is Cattle Connect, brought to you by the Alabama
Cattlemen's Association.
Hi folks, welcome back to this week's episode of the Cattle Connect podcast, and we've got
a treat for you this week.
We're about to dig into all things Chekhov, and specifically the Alabama beef Chekhov,
as we're joined today by Mr. Bill Walding.
(00:29):
You're a member of the association.
There's a good chance you know Bill and his whole family.
They are extensively involved in the association and really just agriculture in Alabama.
So without further ado, Bill will be joining myself and Ms. Bailey Watson, and as your
resident Chekhov team here at the ACA, we're going to be joined by Mr. Bill.
So Bill, welcome in today.
Thank you, sir.
(00:50):
Appreciate you having me.
Absolutely, man.
We're tickled about this.
We've been looking forward to this one and just with all you do.
So if you would start off just by letting our listeners know just about Bill Walding
and the Walding family and how you guys are growing by the day here as well.
So the mic's all yours.
Just tell everybody about yourself and how you got involved here.
So my name is Bill Walding.
(01:11):
I'm a cattle producer down in Dale County, cow-calf producer.
We do freezer beef.
We actually started a purebred Red Angus herd in 2024, and we're growing that.
We actually do some freezer pork also, but our mainstay is cow-calf and our hay business.
But me and my wife, we've been married now 32 years.
(01:31):
I'm actually a third generation cattle farmer here in Dale County.
Still run cattle on a place that my grandfather was born in 1891.
That's cool.
We're in it pretty deep, I guess you could say.
We're a small operation, just like a lot of folks in Alabama.
I have my son, Jacob, and his wife, Aisling, are involved with us also.
We have a company called Walding Cattle, LLC.
(01:51):
To tell you how I got into the Alabama Cattlemen's Association, several years ago, the president
of our county, he just called me.
He's a good friend of mine.
We were in Young Farmers together.
We were on the rodeo committee together there in Ozark and Dale County.
He called me.
He said, Bill, would you be interested in serving on the board for Dale County?
(02:12):
And I said, sure.
Yeah, I'll be interested.
So I went to a few board meetings, and a few months goes by, and he calls me back.
He said, hey, we're getting close to our annual meeting.
What did you think about being vice chairman?
I said, yeah.
And so I came in and served as vice chairman, and then I was asked to be chairman.
I served in that capacity for two years, and that's where I really got to know people in
Montgomery.
(02:32):
Yeah.
You know, it was a learning experience for me.
I had never been to the Cattlemen's Building, and you and I have discussed it before, Michael.
I walked in that day, and I'm asking myself, what am I doing here?
I know that feeling.
What allows me to be here?
You walk into the Cattlemen's Building, and you see all this history, and all these people
(02:56):
that came before us that had a vision, and I was really awestruck.
I remember walking in the meeting room, and I put my little name tag on that they give
you, and I walk around, and I don't know anybody.
I walk by this gentleman from Coffey County, Mr. Larry Reeves.
He's a past president, and I walk by him, and he looks at me, and he says, Bill Walton.
(03:22):
He said, you're from Dale County.
I said, yes, sir.
I am.
He said, my name's Larry Reeves.
He stuck his hand out, shook my hand.
He said, come on over here and sit with me, and that was the beginning of this journey.
We got to talking.
The first thing I know, he called me every two, three weeks, just checking in.
He didn't even say, do you need me for anything?
(03:45):
Is there anything you need to know?
He really got me involved as far as coming to the meetings every quarter.
I thoroughly enjoy going to the Cattlemen's meetings, and that's one thing I miss about
not being an officer.
That's how I got started.
A year or two goes by, and I get a call from Erin, and she said, hey, would you be interested
(04:05):
in serving as regional vice president?
I said, well, you know, Erin, I said, I have this rule, my wife and I do, that first of
all, we're going to pray about it, and second of all, we're going to sleep on it overnight.
The first thing I did when I got off the phone was I called her.
I said, hey, what do you think about this?
She said, I think it's a good thing.
I think you need to do it, and so that started the road of regional vice president for three
(04:29):
years.
The next thing I know, I'm rolling off as regional vice president, and then Erin calls
me again, and she says, hey, I want you to serve on the beef checkoff.
I said, I'd be happy to.
I've been on the beef checkoff now, I think I'm fixing to start my third year, and I've
really enjoyed it, and getting to know everybody on the committee.
I'm really proud of what the checkoff does for the state of Alabama.
(04:52):
Yeah, I agree, and first off, that sentiment you share, that happened to a lot of guys
in my YCLP class, and kind of the story you're telling of being able to come here not as
county presidents even, but really, we felt like nobodies, and to walk in the building
that first time and say, hey, this is a big thing, and it truly is statewide, and it's
(05:14):
in the history and everything you say, but also, after being involved and seeing it,
a lot of people want to continue that involvement, and want to continue to be able to do that,
and you're like a lot of other people that just, they said yes.
The phone rang, and they said yes.
The Academy Association is one of those things that when you walk in the door, if you will
(05:40):
allow yourself to be involved, and allow yourself to get out of your comfort zone a little bit,
and learn, it is one of those things, it's like family.
Sometimes you get involved with organizations that you feel like sometimes they look down
on you because of your size, and because of what you do.
And you have this feeling that I'm just not adequate, and I'm not, I don't need to be
(06:06):
it.
Never had that feeling with the Calvins.
Right.
Same way.
Yeah.
You and I talked about it the other day, the relationships that I have built and made,
and they call it networking.
Yeah, yeah.
They used to call it salesmanship back when I was selling farm equipment.
Yeah.
And just being honest with everybody that you meet, and being yourself.
(06:29):
Yep.
And knowing that you are vulnerable to the markets, what things happen overseas, and
it's one of those things that, I forgot who it was that said it, that if you don't have
a seat at the table, you're not going to get to say what's on the menu.
That's right.
And you're not going to get to structure what's on the menu.
(06:50):
Yeah.
And so you're going to get told everything that happens.
Yeah.
Well, and that's a good point.
That's a good segue into why we're doing this today.
And that is the Beef Checkoff.
Like you said, that marketing and that getting your message out, that is the purpose.
That is the sole intent of the Beef Checkoff.
And we'll get deeper into your service, and it truly is service there on the Beef Checkoff
(07:14):
Committee for Alabama, but can you kind of give us a 10,000 foot view of how the Beef
Checkoff works and what it's designed to do for Alabama producers?
So the Beef Checkoff is a voluntary thing that every producer does whenever they sell
cattle, whether it's at a sale barn or a private treaty.
What they do is they send in $2 per head, and those monies are, you know, like the Department
(07:37):
of Ag actually collects it from the sale barns.
Right.
But then private treaty, you know, you are tasked with sending it yourself to the Cattleman's Association.
And so that being said, that money is then, you know, it comes from Department of Ag over
to the Cattleman's Association.
The Cattleman's Association then takes and sends the portion that has to go to the NCBA,
(08:00):
the National Cattleman's, which I believe is, it's a dollar goes to NCBA.
Isn't that correct?
Yes.
Okay.
And then a dollar stays in the state.
And 50 cents of every dollar comes back to the state.
Yes, sir.
On the national side.
And then on the, you know, on the state side, you know, we take that money and then we use
it for programs such as Alabama Junior Cattleman's Association, research, meat science, production.
(08:27):
We use it to help fund programs at Auburn University through extension.
The biggest thing though is the marking that we do with those dollars.
Yeah.
And I know that's something you're pretty passionate about is because you have worked
in sales and you're working in sales now, you know, and you're selling your own product.
(08:48):
And because you and I have talked about it, that's a pretty important thing.
So with all that being said, that marketing is a key part of it.
And so what we just completed here not long ago is that marketing plan.
And so what we want to talk about today with you as a member of that checkoff council,
(09:08):
why do you think having like a structured plan is important?
Because you talked about the producers that give that money per head sold.
So we've got to have a good return on that investment.
I know that's a charge that we take here very seriously.
And you too, as being a member of the checkoff council, representing those producers that
(09:29):
give that money.
So why do you think having kind of a structured marketing plan is important?
Well, first of all, if you're going to go anywhere in the United States,
what's the first thing you got to have?
You got to have a map.
Yeah.
And if you don't have a map to where you're going, you won't know when you get there.
Yeah.
And you may run past the target.
(09:50):
Right.
And so the Beef Checkoff Council are like the assistant coaches.
Aaron is our head coach.
And, you know, you and Bailey and Kayla and Jessica and the others up there,
you're like the coordinators.
And then us on the Beef Checkoff Council, we're the assistant coaches.
And we come in and we say, hey, you know, we have all these players up and down through here.
(10:13):
We've got the advertising, the consumer events, the consumer education.
So we take these monies and we start plugging them into these different avenues
that we can get a return on investment.
Yeah.
And it is amazing at the numbers that they can tell us.
Yeah.
My wife and I, in 2018, we go through the Master Cattleman's course here in Dale County.
(10:37):
Yeah.
That's where I got to meet Soren Rodney.
Yeah.
It's a very good program, by the way.
Great program.
Soren poured into my son.
Yeah.
Teaching him about AI, where he would not let me or my buddy back there.
And when he came out of that, when I tell you a kid was on fire.
(10:58):
Yeah.
And he's been on fire ever since.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And I look at that and you say, well, what does that have to do with checkoff?
If you've never been to the Junior Cattleman's Roundup, you know,
I've had the opportunity to judge salesmanship two times.
And when you see these kids come in and you see the look on their face when they come up
(11:24):
and they start selling their calf to you, you say, this is where it's at.
Yeah.
And that's part of the checkoff.
You know, they help support that.
And so whenever you go to these events and you see these kids coming in there
and they progress on through and they become young adults, the next thing you know,
they're the leaders on our boards.
(11:46):
Yeah.
They're pouring back into their community.
It's a good thing.
And you've got to see as a president, a county president,
you've got to see it as a regional vice president.
And now being a decision maker on the Beef Checkoff Council,
you've got to see it kind of full circle.
And we'll get into later your kind of family connections, YCLP and all that good stuff.
(12:10):
All right.
So, Bailey, so before we even drafted the 2026 marketing plan,
you formulated a survey that we sent out to all of our members all across the state
in order to figure out what they wanted to see from the beef checkoff.
So can you kind of tell us about that survey and what led to that
(12:31):
and how you put all that together?
Yeah.
So, Michael, before we even go into kind of drafting the plan,
one thing we do is we always seek feedback from stakeholders.
So in years past, we have done a task force.
This year we wanted to kind of look at avenues of being able to reach a lot more people.
So we decided to compile a survey, like you said.
(12:52):
And so we put that together as a short 10 to 15-minute survey
based on the programs we have done
and potential programs we could do in the future through the beef checkoff program.
And we actually received 175 responses.
So those responses were analyzed and presented to our council
when we presented the draft marketing plan
so that they can have that feedback of what stakeholders are kind of thinking about
(13:13):
when they're thinking about the beef checkoff
and what they're looking for and what we could put our priorities into.
Yeah, and I think that just lends itself to the forethought
and the quality, I think, of this association
of not just sitting down here in Montgomery and making plans,
but reaching out to folks all over the state.
Folks like Bill, who are producers, who do pay checkoff dollars.
(13:37):
Bill, if you can, we know you're one of the members of the checkoff council,
but I believe there are about 15 council members.
Can you tell us about them and what they do?
Well, to start off with, we have Wyatt Sasser.
He's actually an ACA officer.
He's the vice president right now.
He's down in Covington County.
And then Richard Meadows is our ACA treasurer.
(14:00):
And he's down in Houston County.
Mr. Jake King is our representative from the LMA,
the Livestock Marketing Association in Dale County.
And then Shelby Easterling, which I've known Shelby ever since she was a little girl.
She's our cattle women's president from Dale County.
And then Whitney Blackman, she's our Apple Beef Committee,
Auburn Beef Unit Manager there in Lee County.
(14:22):
And then Mr. Bob Plaster.
Everybody loves Mr. Bob.
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
Department of Ag.
And Cheryl Laster, she's a cattle producer in Choctaw County.
My old buddy, Kenny Woodham, down in Henry County.
Mr. Richie Traylor is a cattle producer in Randolph County,
Red Angus producer up there.
And then our council chairman right now is Mr. Stephen Smith
(14:43):
up in Franklin County.
And then Ms. Michelle Elmore, Extension Associate Professor of Beef Cattle
there in Chilton County.
And then Sammy Jackson is in Cleaver County.
And then Nikki Dice from Geneva County.
And Mr. Jim Miller from Jefferson County.
Yeah.
Well, and one thing that I really like from that list of folks that you named off
(15:06):
is just about every single one of them is a cattle producer.
And that is, I think that's what makes us work.
And that's what makes us unique is I know Erin had the,
she and I have talked about this, she had the idea of,
hey, let's put a council together.
And, you know, made up of cattle producers across the state
(15:29):
because who better to speak for a producer than a producer?
Nobody can tell your story better than you.
And so having these council made up of producers,
I think that lends a lot of credibility to it.
Makes for a great group of folks that I know Bailey and I get to work with.
We, like you said earlier, you guys kind of call the plays
and we figure out a way to implement them.
(15:51):
And Bailey, speaking of that, you know,
kind of before we jump into our plan for 2026,
as you look back on 2025,
both of our first year here working at the association,
what would you say was the beef checkoff initiative
or program that you're the most proud of?
Yeah. You know, Michael, like you said, we came in in June.
(16:12):
You came in in June and I came in August.
So I'm not speaking for everybody here for sure,
but one of the ones that I was very impressed with that I really got
involved with as soon as I started here was the Beef 101 program.
Yeah.
And what I think is so neat about that is we're not only reaching
agriculture kids with that.
(16:33):
We're also reaching some culinary kids,
some kids who have no agriculture background to learn about the pasture to
plate experience.
Yeah.
And we had nearly 350 youth and I'd say three-fourths of those are culinary
students. And I think that's one benefit of the beef checkoff.
You know, I'm going to throw that question back to you.
What do you think your favorite probably was?
Oh, well, I'm going to be selfish, but I got to say YCLP.
(16:55):
I knew that was coming.
And you both know, you know,
how much that meant to me personally of being a part of class eight.
And now coming in here to, to actually get to, like you said earlier,
you know, that,
that wonder hadn't left me from the first time I came in my first day at
YCLP. I was like, I didn't know anybody,
but then this past summer to drive down here and actually get to know
(17:19):
people and get to meet people.
And I think that's one of the things that I'm most proud of.
To drive down here and actually walk in this building and knew I had a
office here. It's kind of a surreal moment. And so getting to,
to be a part of YCLP now all the time,
I think it's great just because of what, what you said, Bill,
(17:42):
it's the relationships.
It's the people you meet and those folks that welcome you to sit at the
table with them. Bill,
what would you say from a council perspective?
Do you have a favorite program or something that really stood out to you from
the past year that the,
the checkoff program was able to, to, to see enacted?
(18:05):
Well, I have to tag along with Bailey. I,
I really love the Beef 101 because when you start looking at what your
impact is going to be,
you try to see how many people you can impact at any given time. Yeah.
And you and I one-on-one is one-on-one. But whenever you look at, Hey,
I get to talk to 45, 50 kids.
(18:28):
Who knows what ever happened from there.
But if you're not that positive impact, what are you? Right.
These kids come to Beef 101 and you know,
95% of those kids that walk through that door, they've never seen a cow.
Yeah.
They definitely never been on the farm and then they get to sit in there and
then they get to watch a carcass being broken down, a past process,
(18:51):
how it goes from there to the, to the plate.
And you never know down the road when that investment is going to return back
to you. I promise you it will one way or the other. It's going to return.
I agree. I agree.
The age old question. What's for dinner?
Maybe it's ground beef tacos or sirloin steak kabobs.
(19:14):
What about beef chili meatloaf or sloppy Joes with hundreds of recipes on
beef? It's what's for dinner.com.
The next time that question comes up, you'll know the answer. Beef.
It's what's for dinner funded by beef farmers and ranchers.
Well, and as Bill, you and Bailey both know these programs take money.
(19:38):
You know that Beef 101 program in and of itself,
it takes money to do that. If you're not familiar with the Beef 101,
we bring these students in and we also bring food service professionals.
We bring culinary professionals in there and we give them a good half day at
Auburn. We buy a nice course beef lunch and we provide all that.
It takes money to do that.
It takes money to do YCLP and it takes a budget to do that and that's
(20:01):
something Bill you're responsible for being on the checkoff council.
So we got to talk about this year's budget for 26 as a lot of you listening
out there know collections over the last years have had kind of been down
because everybody knows the overall cow herd is,
has kind of shrunk down for a numerous amount of reasons we could get into,
(20:22):
but those beef checkoff collections,
they basically kind of flow up and down with the cattle cycle.
So Bill and our council, they've, they've planned accordingly.
And up until this year,
they've elected to utilize some reserve money from years of good stewardship
from, from the folks that have served on this council since it was kind of
created,
(20:43):
but they've used that reserve money to continue programs at kind of the same
funding levels that they've been. But, you know, with this year,
the decision was made to do some cutbacks.
And what that kind of does is it allows us to,
to plan our expenses a little closer to projected revenues from collections.
So let's spend some time now,
if we can kind of highlighting the programs that you can expect to continue
(21:07):
seeing out there all across the state with,
with a smaller budget compared to the last few years. But before we do that,
if you can kind of explain the difference between the national and the state
checkoff, how those monies are allocated differently.
The national checkoff, number one,
it does not pay for any production research,
any youth education or producer education and our state checkoff does.
(21:33):
And so we,
we allocate those dollars for our state to be used at different programs that
we have, such as the Beef 101 and then the Junior Cattlemen's,
the Roundup. And so, you know,
when we met this year as a council to fund the projects that were presented to
us, we did it different this year.
(21:55):
We actually met at the Beef Teaching Unit at Auburn University.
Yeah. And these professors,
these guys actually had to come in and talk to us face to face instead of just
presenting a piece of paper. Yeah.
That was a great time to get to connect with the actual person that's going to
be doing the research. Right. But that's,
(22:18):
that's the three key things is that the national checkoff doesn't pay for any
production research and youth education or producer education,
that the state checkoff does pay for. Yeah.
And on the state side, we feel like the education side,
when you start talking about your marketing plan also,
when you throw that education concept in there with it,
(22:39):
when we put that out there to the general public, it's amazing how they,
they react to it. Yeah. They say, Oh, well, I didn't know that. Right.
I didn't, I didn't, you know, and to cattle producers,
it's common sense to us, but you,
to your everyday person that's going to a nine to five job or eight to five
job, that's just going by picking up a pack of hamburger to meet at the store.
(23:00):
They don't know what's behind that. That's right.
Another thing too is, is, is to keep the misinformation out away. Yeah.
No, no, I, I, I agree. And, you know,
one of the other things that I've heard kind of out and about in the state,
you know,
they talk about us using checkoff dollars for political lobbying and all that
stuff. And that's absolutely not legal. And, and that's not allowed.
(23:24):
And that's not what we do. You know, that,
that comes from a whole separate pot of money that comes from our beef pack.
And I think that, you know, what,
by doing this podcast and by doing our survey and by, you know,
me and Bailey getting out, you know,
and having you men and women on the council who can,
can help tell the story of that checkoff, you know, and, and, and,
(23:45):
and you mentioned going to Auburn. I'm glad you did.
What I enjoyed hearing those presentations was this is
research about Alabama related topics and,
and things that will directly on the research alone,
things that will directly impact Alabama producers. And, you know,
that there truly is a return on that investment, you know,
(24:08):
and not looking at the checkoff dollar as well. I got to pay that. No,
look at that as an investment.
That is an investment. You're investing in the,
the future of your operation,
but also in all these young people that were all passionate about coming in
behind us.
I have never seen in my time involved with ACA and I'm,
I'm talking as a member and in my short time here, as in, as a staff member,
(24:32):
you know,
I've never seen producers be negative towards youth programs and,
and things directed and dealing with young people.
And that just speaks to the kind of people that, that better than I represent,
you know, and that you represent on the council.
They're passionate about our youth and the future of this thing. You know,
we're passionate about this continuing.
And honestly that passion kind of shows because we still get great support
(24:58):
statewide on the checkoff referendum when it comes around every five years.
And it's typically an overwhelming vote to keep it in place.
And I'll tell you it's a blessing for the state.
It's a blessing for the producers that vote for it, but it's a blessing to,
I know you bill being here dealing with these, you know,
(25:19):
managing these checkoff dollars.
And it's a blessing for me and Bailey to be able to come to work every day.
Bailey,
the council allocated $347,000 towards consumer outreach in 2026.
I know that's a really big part of your role here.
What can we expect to see coming across your desk this year on consumer
outreach stuff?
(25:40):
What was some of the things you'll be doing with that allocated money?
Yeah. And I'd like to start off.
I think Bill kind of touched on this earlier,
but I would like to start off by saying that when the beef checkoff was
originally formed,
it was originally formed for beef promotion to market the beef product to
consumers. Right. Because if nobody's buying the beef product,
(26:01):
then what's the point in the cattle producer. Right.
So that's why we do consumer outreach.
That's why it's such a big part of our marketing plan.
We have to continue to encourage these consumers to eat beef,
especially when beef prices are high. And I've said this before.
We're actually,
it's amazing right now because all the beef prices are high.
Our demand for beef is still going up. Right.
(26:23):
And I've heard this from multiple people and I guess I didn't really think
about it like this,
but I would attribute that to the beef checkoff program and beef promotion
with that. As far as consumer outreach goes,
you will be seeing some digital advertisement going on on some platforms.
You will also see one thing that council,
one thing that really impressed them was our e-commerce advertisement.
(26:45):
So what that is,
is if you go on a Sam's or a Walmart app or something,
one of those grocery store apps, there is an ad on there for beef.
And those apps can track how many people click on that ad and how many
people buy beef off that ad.
We saw a return on investment.
So for every $1 we spent in advertising for that last year,
(27:07):
we saw over a hundred dollars worth of beef sold.
Per dollar. Yeah. Per dollar. That's amazing. Yeah.
So because our council was really impressed with that.
So that's where some of our money is going.
Some of our money is going to beef cookoffs.
That's always been a big, a big tradition here in Alabama,
but a lot of my time will be spent on those advertisements and getting that
(27:29):
out and going to school, not even just schools, career fairs, you know,
events like that,
talking about the beef industry and beef as a, as a product.
So that's where a lot of my time will be spent this year. Yeah.
Bill, you and I've talked,
we wouldn't claim to be the most technologically savvy folks out there,
maybe, but, but one thing that, that,
and I didn't know this until I came to work here,
(27:51):
how we can track that, you know,
because I always thought you're just kind of throwing that advertisement out
there. You're throwing it out there and hope it lands somewhere. But yeah,
to have the metrics that come in on that,
you can really see that that we're reaching the people we want to reach.
Right.
And that's the folks that live in town who don't know agriculture aren't
(28:12):
interested in it, but we need them to purchase our product. Right. So,
and then to see those numbers return, I mean,
a hundred dollars in return for $1 spent on advertising.
That's amazing. I mean, that is amazing.
And as a beef producer,
I know that sometimes it's hard because you're like, well,
(28:33):
I don't see those advertisements.
We would like for you to see those advertisements.
However, we want to reach those consumers so they continue to buy beef from
you. Yes. So that's just something to always keep in mind. Yeah.
Speaking of dollars, Bailey,
we've got also about 97,000 dedicated towards youth development.
What kind of programs and opportunities do you think will be supported by
(28:56):
that amount of money?
The youth, they hold a special place in our council's heart.
Phil's kind of already talked about that,
but some of the programs that you'll see and that I'll be working on this
year is our convention, our youth convention contest.
We will be having those. We will be having our AJCA roundup.
This money goes to support our youth on the AJCA board,
(29:20):
some youth outreach, our field days,
and a new one that I'm working on launching that is still kind of in the
works,
but I can put it out there that it's going to most likely happen this year is
the youth cattle working competition. Awesome.
So that's going to be a new thing that we're,
that we're going to do for the AJCA members.
So that's something that'll be on my desk.
(29:42):
I'll be super busy with those the next six months.
Yes, you will.
You know, as far as that's, that's my two big roles,
but in your role, Michael, your main priority is producer programs.
So we actually,
the council has decided to allocate $247,000 towards producer programs.
Like I said, that's your area.
(30:03):
So can you kind of talk about what,
what we expect to see from you with producer programs in 2026?
Yeah, that's, that's, that's exciting to me.
And that gives me a lot to go do as well. So that's, that's,
that's good job security.
But we, of course, I know y'all get a chuckle,
but obviously that helps fund YCLP, which is, which is important.
And I know Bill, you,
you've got a son and daughter-in-law that participated in that program.
(30:27):
And Aisling, your daughter-in-law,
she is actually our YCLP council chair. So.
Can I add something to that, Michael, I would like to say, you know,
we've talked about, Bill has talked about the returns he's seen on YCLP.
And from our survey,
we were able to see that the people who took it when they talked about the
(30:48):
benefits of YCLP, they talked about bringing back leaders to their County.
Yeah. And so that is one reason I know you're,
you're talking about it because you're passionate about it,
but the council also sees a lot of importance in that program.
I'll give you a fun fact here. All right.
So Aisling is the chairman of the YCLP council right now.
(31:11):
Jacob in February,
will come on as the Dale County cattlemen's president.
And I haven't researched it yet,
but I think he may be the youngest Dale County president we've ever
had. Really? He's 25 years old. Yeah.
So that's what the YCLP has done.
(31:32):
Would I have said that Jacob would have taken the president of a
Dale County cattlemen's before YCLP? I don't know. I really don't know,
but, but he is coming on as our, our president.
And that is a direct impact of YCLP in my opinion. But you know,
Jacob's a good example of that. And even in this class,
(31:55):
we've got something that I don't think has ever happened before. We,
we're going to graduate this current class with two to five or six that have
earned their red jacket while they were in YCLP.
And at graduation they'll be wearing the old iconic red blazers there
mobile. And, and, and that's going to be something that we've,
(32:17):
we've never really had happened before.
And I think that's a testament to the young people wanting to be involved,
but, but I'll say this as well.
I think it's a testament to our more senior members that may be in the,
I think you call it the OCLP who are letting these young men and women have a
seat at the table, you know, and that's a testament.
(32:39):
Some of our more senior members that would be willing to trust those younger
folks with that. So, but yeah, YCLP is a big thing I do. And, but also,
you know, my stockyard visits trying to really strengthen that relationship.
We're blessed in this state to have quite a few stockyards.
I want to say the numbers up around 18 or 19, but I could be wrong there,
(33:00):
but we have great stockyards in the state and they're definitely friends of ours
here. And, you know, as, as our producers rely heavily on them to be able to
market their cattle. So I'm trying to go out and grow those relationships there,
but also our regional meetings that we do,
those things have taken off and have become quite a hit.
(33:22):
And so giving our folks an opportunity to,
to not just maybe wait on convention to get together,
but to get together regionally with our friends at extension to provide kind of
area focused resources and knowledge.
That's something that I really enjoyed being a part of along with the Beef 101
stuff with Bailey. So yeah, we got a lot of good stuff coming and,
(33:46):
but I think we've pretty well covered our,
kind of our major focus areas for the year. You know,
there's administrative costs and all that stuff that it takes to keep
everything running smoothly, but that's pretty well,
the overview of what we're looking to accomplish in 26 with the oversight of the
Chekhov Council. And if you'd like to take a look for yourself at that marketing
(34:08):
plan, anybody can, it's available. Folks,
we're very transparent here with the Chekhov programming and the funding and the
dollars. So you can actually go to bamabeef.org forward slash Chekhov,
or you can reach out to one of the council members that Bill mentioned earlier,
or really any of us here at the office that you can give us a shout.
(34:29):
And if you've got questions about that, we frankly love to talk about it.
So, well, Bill,
this is coming to probably my favorite part of the podcast that I get to host.
And that's where I shut up talking and give you the microphone.
So Bill, the microphone's yours, man.
Do you have any final thoughts or messages,
(34:50):
anything you'd like to share with Alabama beef producers as we head into 2026?
And just, you know, if you could sum it up in a few sentences,
if you had all their attention all at once,
I know we're putting you on the spot here, but what,
what is something you'd share with them?
Well, speaking from experience,
never underestimate what you can do.
(35:12):
Just speaking to a fellow cattleman, cattlewoman,
that is possibly going through a tough time,
reach out to them, answer questions, and just be there.
But the cattle producers in the state of Alabama,
I would put against anybody in the country.
(35:34):
They have a way of taking the resources they have
and producing a product that I would put against anybody.
And when you talk to people outside of our state,
our cattlemen's association in a lot of parts of this country is the envy.
They want to be like us.
(35:56):
And I go back to the fact that it's because we're so receptive of other producers.
Yeah.
Just like what happened to me with Mr. Larry Reeves all those years ago.
The people that you meet in the cattle association, you become like family.
But, you know, it's just one of those things, you know,
(36:19):
we're going into 26.
There's a little bit of uncertainty in the cattle business.
There is. We don't know what it's going to be.
We have no idea.
But I will tell you this.
If you're growing a good product,
you're putting everything you can into it,
99% of the time it'll take care of itself.
The order buyers, if you're selling at the stockyard,
(36:41):
the order buyers see it.
I have a friend of ours that brings us calves
and we background calves for him from time to time.
And he will tell me right off the bat,
good calves are going to bring good money.
Our producers are very adamant about growing a good product.
And they take a lot of pride in that.
(37:04):
As a cattle association,
we need to be on board with that same thing.
And we are.
We're in a good situation in the state of Alabama.
We have the best of the best, in my opinion.
And so, y'all keep up the good work.
Thank you for what you do for the checkoff.
It's dollars well spent every day of the week.
(37:26):
I'm going to ask you one more question.
You've been, you're third generation doing this.
What would you say to somebody
who does not believe in the checkoff program
and doesn't believe in the checkoff dollars?
First thing I would ask them is, do you have children?
(37:48):
And if they told me yes, I would say,
do you plan on sending them to get an education past high school?
And if they say yes, I would say,
well, you're going to spend money to do that, correct?
And the answer is always going to be yes.
But then whenever you start talking about the checkoff,
(38:11):
as a cattle producer,
not everybody's kid is going to be a cattle producer one day.
But there may be that kid that says,
hey, that's what I want to do the rest of my life.
And those checkoff dollars may change one kid's mind.
And it may put that kid in a position
(38:35):
to be an impact later on to somebody else.
And that's what I would say to them.
It's an old cliche.
If you don't invest in the future, there's no future there.
And that's what checkoff dollars do.
I had one person that told me
he did not believe in the checkoff.
And I told him, I said, I'll tell you what I'll ask you to do.
Go with me one day to the Junior Cattlemen's Roundup
(38:58):
or go with me one day to the Beef 101.
And look at what your checkoff dollars are doing.
I said, then make your decision.
And he said, well, I don't really want to do that.
He said, I'm just going to let them keep it.
I said, well, if you ever want to see what's going on,
I said, just get with me and I'll take you in and show you.
Well, we appreciate you.
We know there ain't really no slow time out on the farm.
(39:21):
So appreciate you taking your time
to come be here with us today
and just share some numbers and some programs,
but also share from your heart.
And anybody that knows you
knows that if they talk to Bill Walding,
that's what they're going to get.
And I knew it, you know, many years ago now,
and it holds true.
(39:42):
So again, if you want to learn more about the checkoff,
you can go to BamaBeef.org forward slash checkoff
and learn more about everything
that we talked about here today.
And we appreciate you tuning in out there
everywhere you are, listening to us
and always remember that beef, it is what's for dinner.
Make sure you come back next week
for another episode of the Cattle Connect podcast.
(40:07):
Thanks for tuning into this episode of Cattle Connect
brought to you by the Alabama Cattlemen's Association.
Be sure to subscribe to get notified
when our next episode goes live.
Until next time, remember beef, it's what's for dinner.
Cattle Connect
(40:56):
www.cattle.org
(41:26):
www.cattle.org
(41:56):
www.cattle.org
(42:26):
www.cattle.org
(42:56):
www.cattle.org
(43:26):
www.cattle.org
www.cattle.org
Welcome to Cattle Connect, your insight into Alabama's beef cattle industry.
(00:08):
I'm your host, Michael Smith, and this is Cattle Connect, brought to you by the Alabama
Cattlemen's Association.
Hi folks, welcome back to this week's episode of the Cattle Connect podcast, and we've got
a treat for you this week.
We're about to dig into all things Chekhov, and specifically the Alabama beef Chekhov,
as we're joined today by Mr. Bill Walding.
(00:29):
You're a member of the association.
There's a good chance you know Bill and his whole family.
They are extensively involved in the association and really just agriculture in Alabama.
So without further ado, Bill will be joining myself and Ms. Bailey Watson, and as your
resident Chekhov team here at the ACA, we're going to be joined by Mr. Bill.
So Bill, welcome in today.
Thank you, sir.
(00:50):
Appreciate you having me.
Absolutely, man.
We're tickled about this.
We've been looking forward to this one and just with all you do.
So if you would start off just by letting our listeners know just about Bill Walding
and the Walding family and how you guys are growing by the day here as well.
So the mic's all yours.
Just tell everybody about yourself and how you got involved here.
So my name is Bill Walding.
(01:11):
I'm a cattle producer down in Dale County, cow-calf producer.
We do freezer beef.
We actually started a purebred Red Angus herd in 2024, and we're growing that.
We actually do some freezer pork also, but our mainstay is cow-calf and our hay business.
But me and my wife, we've been married now 32 years.
(01:31):
I'm actually a third generation cattle farmer here in Dale County.
Still run cattle on a place that my grandfather was born in 1891.
That's cool.
We're in it pretty deep, I guess you could say.
We're a small operation, just like a lot of folks in Alabama.
I have my son, Jacob, and his wife, Aisling, are involved with us also.
We have a company called Walding Cattle, LLC.
(01:51):
To tell you how I got into the Alabama Cattlemen's Association, several years ago, the president
of our county, he just called me.
He's a good friend of mine.
We were in Young Farmers together.
We were on the rodeo committee together there in Ozark and Dale County.
He called me.
He said, Bill, would you be interested in serving on the board for Dale County?
(02:12):
And I said, sure.
Yeah, I'll be interested.
So I went to a few board meetings, and a few months goes by, and he calls me back.
He said, hey, we're getting close to our annual meeting.
What did you think about being vice chairman?
I said, yeah.
And so I came in and served as vice chairman, and then I was asked to be chairman.
I served in that capacity for two years, and that's where I really got to know people in
Montgomery.
(02:32):
Yeah.
You know, it was a learning experience for me.
I had never been to the Cattlemen's Building, and you and I have discussed it before, Michael.
I walked in that day, and I'm asking myself, what am I doing here?
I know that feeling.
What allows me to be here?
You walk into the Cattlemen's Building, and you see all this history, and all these people
(02:56):
that came before us that had a vision, and I was really awestruck.
I remember walking in the meeting room, and I put my little name tag on that they give
you, and I walk around, and I don't know anybody.
I walk by this gentleman from Coffey County, Mr. Larry Reeves.
He's a past president, and I walk by him, and he looks at me, and he says, Bill Walton.
(03:22):
He said, you're from Dale County.
I said, yes, sir.
I am.
He said, my name's Larry Reeves.
He stuck his hand out, shook my hand.
He said, come on over here and sit with me, and that was the beginning of this journey.
We got to talking.
The first thing I know, he called me every two, three weeks, just checking in.
He didn't even say, do you need me for anything?
(03:45):
Is there anything you need to know?
He really got me involved as far as coming to the meetings every quarter.
I thoroughly enjoy going to the Cattlemen's meetings, and that's one thing I miss about
not being an officer.
That's how I got started.
A year or two goes by, and I get a call from Erin, and she said, hey, would you be interested
(04:05):
in serving as regional vice president?
I said, well, you know, Erin, I said, I have this rule, my wife and I do, that first of
all, we're going to pray about it, and second of all, we're going to sleep on it overnight.
The first thing I did when I got off the phone was I called her.
I said, hey, what do you think about this?
She said, I think it's a good thing.
I think you need to do it, and so that started the road of regional vice president for three
(04:29):
years.
The next thing I know, I'm rolling off as regional vice president, and then Erin calls
me again, and she says, hey, I want you to serve on the beef checkoff.
I said, I'd be happy to.
I've been on the beef checkoff now, I think I'm fixing to start my third year, and I've
really enjoyed it, and getting to know everybody on the committee.
I'm really proud of what the checkoff does for the state of Alabama.
(04:52):
Yeah, I agree, and first off, that sentiment you share, that happened to a lot of guys
in my YCLP class, and kind of the story you're telling of being able to come here not as
county presidents even, but really, we felt like nobodies, and to walk in the building
that first time and say, hey, this is a big thing, and it truly is statewide, and it's
(05:14):
in the history and everything you say, but also, after being involved and seeing it,
a lot of people want to continue that involvement, and want to continue to be able to do that,
and you're like a lot of other people that just, they said yes.
The phone rang, and they said yes.
The Academy Association is one of those things that when you walk in the door, if you will
(05:40):
allow yourself to be involved, and allow yourself to get out of your comfort zone a little bit,
and learn, it is one of those things, it's like family.
Sometimes you get involved with organizations that you feel like sometimes they look down
on you because of your size, and because of what you do.
And you have this feeling that I'm just not adequate, and I'm not, I don't need to be
(06:06):
it.
Never had that feeling with the Calvins.
Right.
Same way.
Yeah.
You and I talked about it the other day, the relationships that I have built and made,
and they call it networking.
Yeah, yeah.
They used to call it salesmanship back when I was selling farm equipment.
Yeah.
And just being honest with everybody that you meet, and being yourself.
(06:29):
Yep.
And knowing that you are vulnerable to the markets, what things happen overseas, and
it's one of those things that, I forgot who it was that said it, that if you don't have
a seat at the table, you're not going to get to say what's on the menu.
That's right.
And you're not going to get to structure what's on the menu.
(06:50):
Yeah.
And so you're going to get told everything that happens.
Yeah.
Well, and that's a good point.
That's a good segue into why we're doing this today.
And that is the Beef Checkoff.
Like you said, that marketing and that getting your message out, that is the purpose.
That is the sole intent of the Beef Checkoff.
And we'll get deeper into your service, and it truly is service there on the Beef Checkoff
(07:14):
Committee for Alabama, but can you kind of give us a 10,000 foot view of how the Beef
Checkoff works and what it's designed to do for Alabama producers?
So the Beef Checkoff is a voluntary thing that every producer does whenever they sell
cattle, whether it's at a sale barn or a private treaty.
What they do is they send in $2 per head, and those monies are, you know, like the Department
(07:37):
of Ag actually collects it from the sale barns.
Right.
But then private treaty, you know, you are tasked with sending it yourself to the Cattleman's Association.
And so that being said, that money is then, you know, it comes from Department of Ag over
to the Cattleman's Association.
The Cattleman's Association then takes and sends the portion that has to go to the NCBA,
(08:00):
the National Cattleman's, which I believe is, it's a dollar goes to NCBA.
Isn't that correct?
Yes.
Okay.
And then a dollar stays in the state.
And 50 cents of every dollar comes back to the state.
Yes, sir.
On the national side.
And then on the, you know, on the state side, you know, we take that money and then we use
it for programs such as Alabama Junior Cattleman's Association, research, meat science, production.
(08:27):
We use it to help fund programs at Auburn University through extension.
The biggest thing though is the marking that we do with those dollars.
Yeah.
And I know that's something you're pretty passionate about is because you have worked
in sales and you're working in sales now, you know, and you're selling your own product.
(08:48):
And because you and I have talked about it, that's a pretty important thing.
So with all that being said, that marketing is a key part of it.
And so what we just completed here not long ago is that marketing plan.
And so what we want to talk about today with you as a member of that checkoff council,
(09:08):
why do you think having like a structured plan is important?
Because you talked about the producers that give that money per head sold.
So we've got to have a good return on that investment.
I know that's a charge that we take here very seriously.
And you too, as being a member of the checkoff council, representing those producers that
(09:29):
give that money.
So why do you think having kind of a structured marketing plan is important?
Well, first of all, if you're going to go anywhere in the United States,
what's the first thing you got to have?
You got to have a map.
Yeah.
And if you don't have a map to where you're going, you won't know when you get there.
Yeah.
And you may run past the target.
(09:50):
Right.
And so the Beef Checkoff Council are like the assistant coaches.
Aaron is our head coach.
And, you know, you and Bailey and Kayla and Jessica and the others up there,
you're like the coordinators.
And then us on the Beef Checkoff Council, we're the assistant coaches.
And we come in and we say, hey, you know, we have all these players up and down through here.
(10:13):
We've got the advertising, the consumer events, the consumer education.
So we take these monies and we start plugging them into these different avenues
that we can get a return on investment.
Yeah.
And it is amazing at the numbers that they can tell us.
Yeah.
My wife and I, in 2018, we go through the Master Cattleman's course here in Dale County.
(10:37):
Yeah.
That's where I got to meet Soren Rodney.
Yeah.
It's a very good program, by the way.
Great program.
Soren poured into my son.
Yeah.
Teaching him about AI, where he would not let me or my buddy back there.
And when he came out of that, when I tell you a kid was on fire.
(10:58):
Yeah.
And he's been on fire ever since.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And I look at that and you say, well, what does that have to do with checkoff?
If you've never been to the Junior Cattleman's Roundup, you know,
I've had the opportunity to judge salesmanship two times.
And when you see these kids come in and you see the look on their face when they come up
(11:24):
and they start selling their calf to you, you say, this is where it's at.
Yeah.
And that's part of the checkoff.
You know, they help support that.
And so whenever you go to these events and you see these kids coming in there
and they progress on through and they become young adults, the next thing you know,
they're the leaders on our boards.
(11:46):
Yeah.
They're pouring back into their community.
It's a good thing.
And you've got to see as a president, a county president,
you've got to see it as a regional vice president.
And now being a decision maker on the Beef Checkoff Council,
you've got to see it kind of full circle.
And we'll get into later your kind of family connections, YCLP and all that good stuff.
(12:10):
All right.
So, Bailey, so before we even drafted the 2026 marketing plan,
you formulated a survey that we sent out to all of our members all across the state
in order to figure out what they wanted to see from the beef checkoff.
So can you kind of tell us about that survey and what led to that
(12:31):
and how you put all that together?
Yeah.
So, Michael, before we even go into kind of drafting the plan,
one thing we do is we always seek feedback from stakeholders.
So in years past, we have done a task force.
This year we wanted to kind of look at avenues of being able to reach a lot more people.
So we decided to compile a survey, like you said.
(12:52):
And so we put that together as a short 10 to 15-minute survey
based on the programs we have done
and potential programs we could do in the future through the beef checkoff program.
And we actually received 175 responses.
So those responses were analyzed and presented to our council
when we presented the draft marketing plan
so that they can have that feedback of what stakeholders are kind of thinking about
(13:13):
when they're thinking about the beef checkoff
and what they're looking for and what we could put our priorities into.
Yeah, and I think that just lends itself to the forethought
and the quality, I think, of this association
of not just sitting down here in Montgomery and making plans,
but reaching out to folks all over the state.
Folks like Bill, who are producers, who do pay checkoff dollars.
(13:37):
Bill, if you can, we know you're one of the members of the checkoff council,
but I believe there are about 15 council members.
Can you tell us about them and what they do?
Well, to start off with, we have Wyatt Sasser.
He's actually an ACA officer.
He's the vice president right now.
He's down in Covington County.
And then Richard Meadows is our ACA treasurer.
(14:00):
And he's down in Houston County.
Mr. Jake King is our representative from the LMA,
the Livestock Marketing Association in Dale County.
And then Shelby Easterling, which I've known Shelby ever since she was a little girl.
She's our cattle women's president from Dale County.
And then Whitney Blackman, she's our Apple Beef Committee,
Auburn Beef Unit Manager there in Lee County.
(14:22):
And then Mr. Bob Plaster.
Everybody loves Mr. Bob.
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
Department of Ag.
And Cheryl Laster, she's a cattle producer in Choctaw County.
My old buddy, Kenny Woodham, down in Henry County.
Mr. Richie Traylor is a cattle producer in Randolph County,
Red Angus producer up there.
And then our council chairman right now is Mr. Stephen Smith
(14:43):
up in Franklin County.
And then Ms. Michelle Elmore, Extension Associate Professor of Beef Cattle
there in Chilton County.
And then Sammy Jackson is in Cleaver County.
And then Nikki Dice from Geneva County.
And Mr. Jim Miller from Jefferson County.
Yeah.
Well, and one thing that I really like from that list of folks that you named off
(15:06):
is just about every single one of them is a cattle producer.
And that is, I think that's what makes us work.
And that's what makes us unique is I know Erin had the,
she and I have talked about this, she had the idea of,
hey, let's put a council together.
And, you know, made up of cattle producers across the state
(15:29):
because who better to speak for a producer than a producer?
Nobody can tell your story better than you.
And so having these council made up of producers,
I think that lends a lot of credibility to it.
Makes for a great group of folks that I know Bailey and I get to work with.
We, like you said earlier, you guys kind of call the plays
and we figure out a way to implement them.
(15:51):
And Bailey, speaking of that, you know,
kind of before we jump into our plan for 2026,
as you look back on 2025,
both of our first year here working at the association,
what would you say was the beef checkoff initiative
or program that you're the most proud of?
Yeah. You know, Michael, like you said, we came in in June.
(16:12):
You came in in June and I came in August.
So I'm not speaking for everybody here for sure,
but one of the ones that I was very impressed with that I really got
involved with as soon as I started here was the Beef 101 program.
Yeah.
And what I think is so neat about that is we're not only reaching
agriculture kids with that.
(16:33):
We're also reaching some culinary kids,
some kids who have no agriculture background to learn about the pasture to
plate experience.
Yeah.
And we had nearly 350 youth and I'd say three-fourths of those are culinary
students. And I think that's one benefit of the beef checkoff.
You know, I'm going to throw that question back to you.
What do you think your favorite probably was?
Oh, well, I'm going to be selfish, but I got to say YCLP.
(16:55):
I knew that was coming.
And you both know, you know,
how much that meant to me personally of being a part of class eight.
And now coming in here to, to actually get to, like you said earlier,
you know, that,
that wonder hadn't left me from the first time I came in my first day at
YCLP. I was like, I didn't know anybody,
but then this past summer to drive down here and actually get to know
(17:19):
people and get to meet people.
And I think that's one of the things that I'm most proud of.
To drive down here and actually walk in this building and knew I had a
office here. It's kind of a surreal moment. And so getting to,
to be a part of YCLP now all the time,
I think it's great just because of what, what you said, Bill,
(17:42):
it's the relationships.
It's the people you meet and those folks that welcome you to sit at the
table with them. Bill,
what would you say from a council perspective?
Do you have a favorite program or something that really stood out to you from
the past year that the,
the checkoff program was able to, to, to see enacted?
(18:05):
Well, I have to tag along with Bailey. I,
I really love the Beef 101 because when you start looking at what your
impact is going to be,
you try to see how many people you can impact at any given time. Yeah.
And you and I one-on-one is one-on-one. But whenever you look at, Hey,
I get to talk to 45, 50 kids.
(18:28):
Who knows what ever happened from there.
But if you're not that positive impact, what are you? Right.
These kids come to Beef 101 and you know,
95% of those kids that walk through that door, they've never seen a cow.
Yeah.
They definitely never been on the farm and then they get to sit in there and
then they get to watch a carcass being broken down, a past process,
(18:51):
how it goes from there to the, to the plate.
And you never know down the road when that investment is going to return back
to you. I promise you it will one way or the other. It's going to return.
I agree. I agree.
The age old question. What's for dinner?
Maybe it's ground beef tacos or sirloin steak kabobs.
(19:14):
What about beef chili meatloaf or sloppy Joes with hundreds of recipes on
beef? It's what's for dinner.com.
The next time that question comes up, you'll know the answer. Beef.
It's what's for dinner funded by beef farmers and ranchers.
Well, and as Bill, you and Bailey both know these programs take money.
(19:38):
You know that Beef 101 program in and of itself,
it takes money to do that. If you're not familiar with the Beef 101,
we bring these students in and we also bring food service professionals.
We bring culinary professionals in there and we give them a good half day at
Auburn. We buy a nice course beef lunch and we provide all that.
It takes money to do that.
It takes money to do YCLP and it takes a budget to do that and that's
(20:01):
something Bill you're responsible for being on the checkoff council.
So we got to talk about this year's budget for 26 as a lot of you listening
out there know collections over the last years have had kind of been down
because everybody knows the overall cow herd is,
has kind of shrunk down for a numerous amount of reasons we could get into,
(20:22):
but those beef checkoff collections,
they basically kind of flow up and down with the cattle cycle.
So Bill and our council, they've, they've planned accordingly.
And up until this year,
they've elected to utilize some reserve money from years of good stewardship
from, from the folks that have served on this council since it was kind of
created,
(20:43):
but they've used that reserve money to continue programs at kind of the same
funding levels that they've been. But, you know, with this year,
the decision was made to do some cutbacks.
And what that kind of does is it allows us to,
to plan our expenses a little closer to projected revenues from collections.
So let's spend some time now,
if we can kind of highlighting the programs that you can expect to continue
(21:07):
seeing out there all across the state with,
with a smaller budget compared to the last few years. But before we do that,
if you can kind of explain the difference between the national and the state
checkoff, how those monies are allocated differently.
The national checkoff, number one,
it does not pay for any production research,
any youth education or producer education and our state checkoff does.
(21:33):
And so we,
we allocate those dollars for our state to be used at different programs that
we have, such as the Beef 101 and then the Junior Cattlemen's,
the Roundup. And so, you know,
when we met this year as a council to fund the projects that were presented to
us, we did it different this year.
(21:55):
We actually met at the Beef Teaching Unit at Auburn University.
Yeah. And these professors,
these guys actually had to come in and talk to us face to face instead of just
presenting a piece of paper. Yeah.
That was a great time to get to connect with the actual person that's going to
be doing the research. Right. But that's,
(22:18):
that's the three key things is that the national checkoff doesn't pay for any
production research and youth education or producer education,
that the state checkoff does pay for. Yeah.
And on the state side, we feel like the education side,
when you start talking about your marketing plan also,
when you throw that education concept in there with it,
(22:39):
when we put that out there to the general public, it's amazing how they,
they react to it. Yeah. They say, Oh, well, I didn't know that. Right.
I didn't, I didn't, you know, and to cattle producers,
it's common sense to us, but you,
to your everyday person that's going to a nine to five job or eight to five
job, that's just going by picking up a pack of hamburger to meet at the store.
(23:00):
They don't know what's behind that. That's right.
Another thing too is, is, is to keep the misinformation out away. Yeah.
No, no, I, I, I agree. And, you know,
one of the other things that I've heard kind of out and about in the state,
you know,
they talk about us using checkoff dollars for political lobbying and all that
stuff. And that's absolutely not legal. And, and that's not allowed.
(23:24):
And that's not what we do. You know, that,
that comes from a whole separate pot of money that comes from our beef pack.
And I think that, you know, what,
by doing this podcast and by doing our survey and by, you know,
me and Bailey getting out, you know,
and having you men and women on the council who can,
can help tell the story of that checkoff, you know, and, and, and,
(23:45):
and you mentioned going to Auburn. I'm glad you did.
What I enjoyed hearing those presentations was this is
research about Alabama related topics and,
and things that will directly on the research alone,
things that will directly impact Alabama producers. And, you know,
that there truly is a return on that investment, you know,
(24:08):
and not looking at the checkoff dollar as well. I got to pay that. No,
look at that as an investment.
That is an investment. You're investing in the,
the future of your operation,
but also in all these young people that were all passionate about coming in
behind us.
I have never seen in my time involved with ACA and I'm,
I'm talking as a member and in my short time here, as in, as a staff member,
(24:32):
you know,
I've never seen producers be negative towards youth programs and,
and things directed and dealing with young people.
And that just speaks to the kind of people that, that better than I represent,
you know, and that you represent on the council.
They're passionate about our youth and the future of this thing. You know,
we're passionate about this continuing.
And honestly that passion kind of shows because we still get great support
(24:58):
statewide on the checkoff referendum when it comes around every five years.
And it's typically an overwhelming vote to keep it in place.
And I'll tell you it's a blessing for the state.
It's a blessing for the producers that vote for it, but it's a blessing to,
I know you bill being here dealing with these, you know,
(25:19):
managing these checkoff dollars.
And it's a blessing for me and Bailey to be able to come to work every day.
Bailey,
the council allocated $347,000 towards consumer outreach in 2026.
I know that's a really big part of your role here.
What can we expect to see coming across your desk this year on consumer
outreach stuff?
(25:40):
What was some of the things you'll be doing with that allocated money?
Yeah. And I'd like to start off.
I think Bill kind of touched on this earlier,
but I would like to start off by saying that when the beef checkoff was
originally formed,
it was originally formed for beef promotion to market the beef product to
consumers. Right. Because if nobody's buying the beef product,
(26:01):
then what's the point in the cattle producer. Right.
So that's why we do consumer outreach.
That's why it's such a big part of our marketing plan.
We have to continue to encourage these consumers to eat beef,
especially when beef prices are high. And I've said this before.
We're actually,
it's amazing right now because all the beef prices are high.
Our demand for beef is still going up. Right.
(26:23):
And I've heard this from multiple people and I guess I didn't really think
about it like this,
but I would attribute that to the beef checkoff program and beef promotion
with that. As far as consumer outreach goes,
you will be seeing some digital advertisement going on on some platforms.
You will also see one thing that council,
one thing that really impressed them was our e-commerce advertisement.
(26:45):
So what that is,
is if you go on a Sam's or a Walmart app or something,
one of those grocery store apps, there is an ad on there for beef.
And those apps can track how many people click on that ad and how many
people buy beef off that ad.
We saw a return on investment.
So for every $1 we spent in advertising for that last year,
(27:07):
we saw over a hundred dollars worth of beef sold.
Per dollar. Yeah. Per dollar. That's amazing. Yeah.
So because our council was really impressed with that.
So that's where some of our money is going.
Some of our money is going to beef cookoffs.
That's always been a big, a big tradition here in Alabama,
but a lot of my time will be spent on those advertisements and getting that
(27:29):
out and going to school, not even just schools, career fairs, you know,
events like that,
talking about the beef industry and beef as a, as a product.
So that's where a lot of my time will be spent this year. Yeah.
Bill, you and I've talked,
we wouldn't claim to be the most technologically savvy folks out there,
maybe, but, but one thing that, that,
and I didn't know this until I came to work here,
(27:51):
how we can track that, you know,
because I always thought you're just kind of throwing that advertisement out
there. You're throwing it out there and hope it lands somewhere. But yeah,
to have the metrics that come in on that,
you can really see that that we're reaching the people we want to reach.
Right.
And that's the folks that live in town who don't know agriculture aren't
(28:12):
interested in it, but we need them to purchase our product. Right. So,
and then to see those numbers return, I mean,
a hundred dollars in return for $1 spent on advertising.
That's amazing. I mean, that is amazing.
And as a beef producer,
I know that sometimes it's hard because you're like, well,
(28:33):
I don't see those advertisements.
We would like for you to see those advertisements.
However, we want to reach those consumers so they continue to buy beef from
you. Yes. So that's just something to always keep in mind. Yeah.
Speaking of dollars, Bailey,
we've got also about 97,000 dedicated towards youth development.
What kind of programs and opportunities do you think will be supported by
(28:56):
that amount of money?
The youth, they hold a special place in our council's heart.
Phil's kind of already talked about that,
but some of the programs that you'll see and that I'll be working on this
year is our convention, our youth convention contest.
We will be having those. We will be having our AJCA roundup.
This money goes to support our youth on the AJCA board,
(29:20):
some youth outreach, our field days,
and a new one that I'm working on launching that is still kind of in the
works,
but I can put it out there that it's going to most likely happen this year is
the youth cattle working competition. Awesome.
So that's going to be a new thing that we're,
that we're going to do for the AJCA members.
So that's something that'll be on my desk.
(29:42):
I'll be super busy with those the next six months.
Yes, you will.
You know, as far as that's, that's my two big roles,
but in your role, Michael, your main priority is producer programs.
So we actually,
the council has decided to allocate $247,000 towards producer programs.
Like I said, that's your area.
(30:03):
So can you kind of talk about what,
what we expect to see from you with producer programs in 2026?
Yeah, that's, that's, that's exciting to me.
And that gives me a lot to go do as well. So that's, that's,
that's good job security.
But we, of course, I know y'all get a chuckle,
but obviously that helps fund YCLP, which is, which is important.
And I know Bill, you,
you've got a son and daughter-in-law that participated in that program.
(30:27):
And Aisling, your daughter-in-law,
she is actually our YCLP council chair. So.
Can I add something to that, Michael, I would like to say, you know,
we've talked about, Bill has talked about the returns he's seen on YCLP.
And from our survey,
we were able to see that the people who took it when they talked about the
(30:48):
benefits of YCLP, they talked about bringing back leaders to their County.
Yeah. And so that is one reason I know you're,
you're talking about it because you're passionate about it,
but the council also sees a lot of importance in that program.
I'll give you a fun fact here. All right.
So Aisling is the chairman of the YCLP council right now.
(31:11):
Jacob in February,
will come on as the Dale County cattlemen's president.
And I haven't researched it yet,
but I think he may be the youngest Dale County president we've ever
had. Really? He's 25 years old. Yeah.
So that's what the YCLP has done.
(31:32):
Would I have said that Jacob would have taken the president of a
Dale County cattlemen's before YCLP? I don't know. I really don't know,
but, but he is coming on as our, our president.
And that is a direct impact of YCLP in my opinion. But you know,
Jacob's a good example of that. And even in this class,
(31:55):
we've got something that I don't think has ever happened before. We,
we're going to graduate this current class with two to five or six that have
earned their red jacket while they were in YCLP.
And at graduation they'll be wearing the old iconic red blazers there
mobile. And, and, and that's going to be something that we've,
(32:17):
we've never really had happened before.
And I think that's a testament to the young people wanting to be involved,
but, but I'll say this as well.
I think it's a testament to our more senior members that may be in the,
I think you call it the OCLP who are letting these young men and women have a
seat at the table, you know, and that's a testament.
(32:39):
Some of our more senior members that would be willing to trust those younger
folks with that. So, but yeah, YCLP is a big thing I do. And, but also,
you know, my stockyard visits trying to really strengthen that relationship.
We're blessed in this state to have quite a few stockyards.
I want to say the numbers up around 18 or 19, but I could be wrong there,
(33:00):
but we have great stockyards in the state and they're definitely friends of ours
here. And, you know, as, as our producers rely heavily on them to be able to
market their cattle. So I'm trying to go out and grow those relationships there,
but also our regional meetings that we do,
those things have taken off and have become quite a hit.
(33:22):
And so giving our folks an opportunity to,
to not just maybe wait on convention to get together,
but to get together regionally with our friends at extension to provide kind of
area focused resources and knowledge.
That's something that I really enjoyed being a part of along with the Beef 101
stuff with Bailey. So yeah, we got a lot of good stuff coming and,
(33:46):
but I think we've pretty well covered our,
kind of our major focus areas for the year. You know,
there's administrative costs and all that stuff that it takes to keep
everything running smoothly, but that's pretty well,
the overview of what we're looking to accomplish in 26 with the oversight of the
Chekhov Council. And if you'd like to take a look for yourself at that marketing
(34:08):
plan, anybody can, it's available. Folks,
we're very transparent here with the Chekhov programming and the funding and the
dollars. So you can actually go to bamabeef.org forward slash Chekhov,
or you can reach out to one of the council members that Bill mentioned earlier,
or really any of us here at the office that you can give us a shout.
(34:29):
And if you've got questions about that, we frankly love to talk about it.
So, well, Bill,
this is coming to probably my favorite part of the podcast that I get to host.
And that's where I shut up talking and give you the microphone.
So Bill, the microphone's yours, man.
Do you have any final thoughts or messages,
(34:50):
anything you'd like to share with Alabama beef producers as we head into 2026?
And just, you know, if you could sum it up in a few sentences,
if you had all their attention all at once,
I know we're putting you on the spot here, but what,
what is something you'd share with them?
Well, speaking from experience,
never underestimate what you can do.
(35:12):
Just speaking to a fellow cattleman, cattlewoman,
that is possibly going through a tough time,
reach out to them, answer questions, and just be there.
But the cattle producers in the state of Alabama,
I would put against anybody in the country.
(35:34):
They have a way of taking the resources they have
and producing a product that I would put against anybody.
And when you talk to people outside of our state,
our cattlemen's association in a lot of parts of this country is the envy.
They want to be like us.
(35:56):
And I go back to the fact that it's because we're so receptive of other producers.
Yeah.
Just like what happened to me with Mr. Larry Reeves all those years ago.
The people that you meet in the cattle association, you become like family.
But, you know, it's just one of those things, you know,
(36:19):
we're going into 26.
There's a little bit of uncertainty in the cattle business.
There is. We don't know what it's going to be.
We have no idea.
But I will tell you this.
If you're growing a good product,
you're putting everything you can into it,
99% of the time it'll take care of itself.
The order buyers, if you're selling at the stockyard,
(36:41):
the order buyers see it.
I have a friend of ours that brings us calves
and we background calves for him from time to time.
And he will tell me right off the bat,
good calves are going to bring good money.
Our producers are very adamant about growing a good product.
And they take a lot of pride in that.
(37:04):
As a cattle association,
we need to be on board with that same thing.
And we are.
We're in a good situation in the state of Alabama.
We have the best of the best, in my opinion.
And so, y'all keep up the good work.
Thank you for what you do for the checkoff.
It's dollars well spent every day of the week.
(37:26):
I'm going to ask you one more question.
You've been, you're third generation doing this.
What would you say to somebody
who does not believe in the checkoff program
and doesn't believe in the checkoff dollars?
First thing I would ask them is, do you have children?
(37:48):
And if they told me yes, I would say,
do you plan on sending them to get an education past high school?
And if they say yes, I would say,
well, you're going to spend money to do that, correct?
And the answer is always going to be yes.
But then whenever you start talking about the checkoff,
(38:11):
as a cattle producer,
not everybody's kid is going to be a cattle producer one day.
But there may be that kid that says,
hey, that's what I want to do the rest of my life.
And those checkoff dollars may change one kid's mind.
And it may put that kid in a position
(38:35):
to be an impact later on to somebody else.
And that's what I would say to them.
It's an old cliche.
If you don't invest in the future, there's no future there.
And that's what checkoff dollars do.
I had one person that told me
he did not believe in the checkoff.
And I told him, I said, I'll tell you what I'll ask you to do.
Go with me one day to the Junior Cattlemen's Roundup
(38:58):
or go with me one day to the Beef 101.
And look at what your checkoff dollars are doing.
I said, then make your decision.
And he said, well, I don't really want to do that.
He said, I'm just going to let them keep it.
I said, well, if you ever want to see what's going on,
I said, just get with me and I'll take you in and show you.
Well, we appreciate you.
We know there ain't really no slow time out on the farm.
(39:21):
So appreciate you taking your time
to come be here with us today
and just share some numbers and some programs,
but also share from your heart.
And anybody that knows you
knows that if they talk to Bill Walding,
that's what they're going to get.
And I knew it, you know, many years ago now,
and it holds true.
(39:42):
So again, if you want to learn more about the checkoff,
you can go to BamaBeef.org forward slash checkoff
and learn more about everything
that we talked about here today.
And we appreciate you tuning in out there
everywhere you are, listening to us
and always remember that beef, it is what's for dinner.
Make sure you come back next week
for another episode of the Cattle Connect podcast.
(40:07):
Thanks for tuning into this episode of Cattle Connect
brought to you by the Alabama Cattlemen's Association.
Be sure to subscribe to get notified
when our next episode goes live.
Until next time, remember beef, it's what's for dinner.
Cattle Connect
(40:56):
www.cattle.org
(41:26):
www.cattle.org
(41:56):
www.cattle.org
(42:26):
www.cattle.org
(42:56):
www.cattle.org
(43:26):
www.cattle.org
www.cattle.org
Popular Podcasts
Hey Jonas!
Hey Jonas! The official Jonas Brothers podcast. Hosted by Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas. It’s the Jonas Brothers you know... musicians, actors, and well, yes, brothers. Now, they’re sharing another side of themselves in the playful, intimate, and irreverent way only they can. Spend time with the Jonas Brothers here and stay a little bit longer for deep conversations like never before.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.