The third South Poll Grass Cattle Association annual meeting and field day will be held on Friday and Saturday, June 24 and 25, at Bent Tree Farms, the home of Teddy and Linda Gentry and also the home of the South Poll breed, on Lookout Mountain near Fort Payne, Alabama.
The event will feature a Friday night concert by Gentry's RockIt City band, that will be free to all those paying the $50 admission fee to the two-day event, and the second-ever South Poll seed stock auction. Gentry, the bass player from the legendary country music group Alabama, says he hopes to have 30 of the finest bulls, cows and heifers the breed has to offer to be sold at the cowboy auction on Saturday.
An open forum on farm management practices will be held from 1 to 3 Friday afternoon featuring discussions by author and Holistic high density grazier Greg Judy, Bent Tree Farms herdsman Dave Roberts and South Poll board members Dr. Bruce Shanks and Ralph Voss. Judy will also lead a pasture walk and discuss the technique of mob grazing at the farm Saturday morning.
Activities will kick off at 9 a.m. Saturday with Teddy Gentry welcoming attendees to his farm and explaining the genetic history of the South Poll breed. Gentry is the founder of the four-way cross which includes Hereford, Angus, Senepol and Barzona breeds of cattle. Meat scientist Dr. Allen Williams will speak on the health benefits of grass-fed beef and marketing tools that can be used.
Lunch featuring grass-fed beef will be prepared on Saturday by the famous Chef Clayton of Birmingham, Ala.
Gentry says the field day will be an opportunity to learn about progressive grazing methods and some of the newest information on adding raw milk, liquid fish, sea salt and molasses as soil amendments. He says the $7 plus corn market has put small and efficient grass cattle, like the South Polls, more and more in demand. �Tender beef off grass, especially when we look at profit per acre, is what our breed is all about,� he said.
Preregistration for the annual meeting will be needed, with a $50 per person fee being charged by the association for entrance to all the activities. Youngsters 16 and under will be admitted free. Anyone registering after June 15 will be charged a $75 fee.
To register online go to www.southpoll.com under Downloads or contact Jerry Voss at 573-694-1681.
Registration forms and fees may be mailed to South Poll Grass Cattle Association, c/o Lisa Sanders, P.O. Box 681123, Fort Payne, AL 35968.
Executive board members of the association will hold their annual meeting on Friday morning at the farm.
For more information about South Poll cattle view the association website at www.southpoll. com.
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