Thank a Farmer: Cullman County cattle industry is big business

Benjamin Bullard, The Cullman Times, Ala.
Updated ·3 min read

Oct. 19—October is Beef Month across Alabama, as members of the state's 67 county chapters of the Alabama Cattlemen's Association (ACA) round up an annual list of reasons that the beef industry perennially ranks as one of the state's most important agricultural endeavors.

Cullman County will be especially well represented among the state's top ACA leadership next year: Local farmer Terry Slaten is set to take the reins as the organization's Alabama president. It's a rare opportunity for the Cullman area, says regional ACA vice president and Fairview-area beef farmer Tim Pinkard: "Terry is probably only the third statewide president ever from Cullman County" since the ACA first was founded in 1944, he says.

Pinkard oversees promotions and programs for ACA activity in Cullman and four other north Alabama counties (Winston, Marion, Walker, and Blount). and while longtime Cullman-area locals already know the welcome sights and smells of the organization's twice-yearly steak sandwich cookouts in high-profile outdoor spaces, a lot more goes on — especially in October — to promote the beef industry's far-reaching benefits to communities throughout the state.

"Some county associations aren't quite as active as ours," says Pinkard. "The Cullman County Cattlemen and Cattlewomen's Association has been really good with outreach over the years. Of course we do our two sandwich sales each year, but this coming year, we'll also be hosting a bull ride at the county Agricultural Center. It's our big fundraiser for the year, with proceeds that go to youth programs to encourage young people's interest in agriculture — whether it's related to working on a farm or in one of the agricultural trades.

"We give all kinds of different scholarships that are related to agriculture," he adds, "plus a program within the Association that's designed to encourage younger people as they get into the cattle business. If you're college aged, right out of high school, and all the way up age 40, we have a state program called Young Cattlemen's Leadership Program where you take classes, go on tours, and connect with other young cattlemen to kind of encourage and grow that next generation of beef farming."

Though Cullman County has built a reputation for poultry, beef is indeed big business here: With more than 57,000 heads of cattle and calves, the county is Alabama's second-largest producer with a beef industry estimated to employ more than 350 local people and yield an overall $21.4 million per year. "Our stockyard," adds Pinkard, "is probably, if not the largest, then the second largest in Alabama, in terms of the number of cattle sold per year."

Pinkard points out that beef isn't just good for the economy; it's also good for the health of us protein-optimizing humans, and even good for the very land itself. Managed well, local beef operations serve as environmental regenerators, renewing depleted soil while tasking farmers and ranchers with staying abreast of good stewardship and conservation practices in farming.

"We try to stay involved in the community," he adds. "We cooked not long ago for the Bosom Buddies organization here in Cullman when they held their big auction. With October being Beef Month, we'll go to local schools and read to the kindergartners and first graders about what we do and why it's important: taking care of animals, taking care of the land and farms. Every year we also have a booth at the fair, and we're always ready to share a lot of positive information about the healthy aspect of beef, kind of reminding people that it's actually not this 'red meat is bad for you' kind of thing that took hold as a kind of misconception in the past."

To find out more about the beef industry right here in Cullman County, visit the Cullman County Cattlemen and CattleWomen's Facebook page at facebook.com/cullmancocattle. To learn about the Alabama Cattlemen's Association and its mission in keeping beef at the forefront of Alabama agriculture, visit the organization's website at bamabeef.org.