Hello everyone!
The Inaugural Florida Cattlemen's Fun N' Gun was just as huge as President-Elect Rick Moyer said it would be! I wasn't sure exactly what would happen at this event, but the Fun N' Gun exceeded all expectations! Thank you to Rick Moyer, FCA Staff, Reba Mazak, committee members, and all the supporters.
Immediately after the Fun N' Gun we flew to San Antonio for NCBA Cattle Con. Florida was represented well with a strong showing of over 40 Florida cattlemen and women in attendance. We are proud to have our FCA Membership Chair, Tom Bryant, serving as the NCBA Tax & Credit Policy Committee Vice-Chair and honored to see Kempfer Cattle Co. highlighted as the Region II 2024 Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP) winner. What a great convention!
Once I made it back to Florida, it was time for the Florida State Fair in Tampa. I was honored to attend the Woman of the Year in Agriculture and Ag Hall of Fame Banquets. I'm proud to say that all three inductees to the FL Ag Hall of Fame are FCA Members. Congratulations to Mr. Cary & Marcia Lightsey, Mr. Jim Strickland, and Mrs. Madeline Mellinger on your well-earned inductions.
February ended just as busy as it started. I traveled to Miami for the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. DeAnne Maples and the Florida Beef Council board members have done a great job promoting beef at this event. I headed north to Lakeland where I spoke about being loyal to the land at the Saunders Lay of the Land Conference. I closed out the month on the East Coast at the Volusia County Cattlemen's meeting. I was joined by membership chair Tom Bryant to discuss membership, and we had a great time visiting with members.
I've talked about membership a lot since June, and I'm pleased to announce that our FCA membership count is back over 3000. When we include our Allied, Collegiate, and JFCA members we are over 4000 strong! Every conference, county meeting, and banquet I attend I gain greater appreciation for the impact this association has. Please keep up the good work recruiting new members!
I look forward to seeing everyone this month at the FCA Legislative Quarterly in Tallahassee. It's always great to see a sea of cowboy hats navigating the Capitol and talking to our representatives about key issues impacting the cattle industry.
As always, stay Loyal to the Land!
Sincerely Honored,
Dale Carlton