WRB Cooperative to Honor Mike Callicrate as “Westerner of the Year”
Western Ranchers Beef Cooperative (WRB) has announced that Mike Callicrate of St. Francis, Kan., will be honored as “Westerner of the Year” at the annual WRB Profit Conference. The seventh annual Beef Producers Profit Conference will be held again at John Ascuaga’s Nugget on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2003. In addition to the award, the conference will provide beef producers with the tools to add value to their herds.
This year’s “Westerner of the Year” will be Kansas feedlot operator Mike Callicrate. For years now, Callicrate has spoken out against consolidation in the beef industry. He has also developed a unique beef processing system and a Ranch Direct marketing program that provides a high-quality product to consumers and a fair profit to producers. In 1996, Callicrate testified before Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman’s panel on Concentration. He is also a lead plaintiff in a national class action antitrust lawsuit against Tyson/IBP.
In addition to Callicrate, speakers at the conference will include Chad Ellingson of Genex, Inc.; Roger Ingram of the University of California Extension Service; CEO Bill Bullard of R-CALF USA; and Donald Nelson of Washington State University (WSU).
Nelson will present an extensive program entitled “Creating a Sustainable Future.” This program will touch on issues facing ranchers and look toward sustainable means of production. Currently, Nelson is the Extension Beef Specialist for Washington State University. He also works through the WSU Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources. In addition, Nelson is certified by the Allan Savory Center for Holistic Management and is in training in Stephen R. Covey’s “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.”
Nelson’s previous experience includes working with the Texas Beef Industry Council as director of a branded-beef program, and as a professor, a ranch manager, and an executive officer for the American International Charolais Assn.
In addition to the above headliners, a program entitled “Getting Back To Basics” will focus on the things that you can control as a beef producer. The program will address all segments of the beef industry, including nutrition, cull cows, added-value products, and ensuring sustainability.
For more information about the program, contact WRB at (530) 233-2334.
