Please read and share your comments on this unedited 3rd Party Article in response to this direct mail piece:
Who Do You Want in Charge of Beef Promotion?
Colorado Springs, CO March 28, 2011
Don’t forget our industry blog, Freemarketcarnivore. Our blog posts are not sent to you direct like the newsletter. But you can sign up on the blog to get an e-mail message sent to you when something new is posted.
A couple Novembers ago, a little while before Thanksgiving, a giant postcard fell out of my mail. On one side, a picture showed a family with their heads bowed around the Thanksgiving Day dinner table. The headline?
“Are they thankful for the food, or are they praying it won’t kill them?”
Yeah, my jaw dropped, too and I re-read that several times to make sure I had it right. Then I skimmed the rest to find out who had had the effrontery to insert something like that into the Catholic Herald. I should have known but I didn’t think even he would stoop that low to market beef. I was wrong.
This was Mike Callicrate’s beef marketing genius at work. Founding and active member of R-CALF and the Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM), Mike’s table tents on restaurants in town scream, “No Hormones, No Drugs” as the main selling proposition to diners. His theory is that only his beef is safe to eat – and the other 99 plus percentof beef found in American restaurants and supermarkets will make you sick or kill you. That’s why he made sure to bring kindred spirit Eric Schlosser to town for a book signing when his movie Fast Food Nationwas released, attacking mainstream meat production as hazardous to your health.
The handful of cattlemen to whom I’ve shown that postcard were outraged. I bring it up now because Callicrate has waded into the controversy over what kind of cattlemen should be in control of beef marketing through the national beef checkoff. Recently, his e-mail newsletter charged that one of the country’s leading state cattlemen’s organizations was guilty of grand larceny and, therefore, they were just like NCBA (“Wall Street on the Range,” Mike Callicrate, 03/26/11).
It’s kind of ironic, really. Callicrate cannot believe either NCBA’s policy division or Kansas Livestock Association’s (KLA) policy side can accomplish all they do on the dues money they receive from cattlemen. He believes the answer is that they have to be stealing money in order to be as good and effective as they are. And he really hates it that they are tooth and nail fighting the GIPSA Rule he thinks is the salvation of the meat industry and which the majority of cattlemen fear as the death knell for consistent, high quality, affordable beef.
What is his “evidence?” He provides a copy of part of a page of KLA’s tax return. It shows a revenue line listing checkoff funds. Another revenue line is dues income. Another sheet shows Dee Likes is CEO of KLA and treasurer of the Kansas Beef Council. >From that Callicrate concludes that KLA is “diverting the Kansas Beef Council (Beef Checkoff) dollars in much the same way NCBA reroutes the National Beef Checkoff funds – to their own bank accounts.” We see no evidence Callicrate has presented on which to base felony charges against either KLA or NCBA.
And, of course, there are other “one-hat” state cattlemen’s associations in which, because cattle numbers and revenue are too small to support separate staffs or the state’s cattlemen’s groups consolidated as much as possible years ago for efficiency and unification purposes, the state cattlemen’s association and state beef council share CEOs and staff. Is Callicrate implying that all one-hat associations are crooked?
Of course, Callicrate can’t resist adding his usual charge that mainstream cattle organizations like NCBA and KLA can’t really represent grassroots cattlemen because they don’t automatically oppose anything that comes out of the mouth of a packer/processor or retailer – those whomerchandise our product to consumers every day. Unless you sue packers, try to destroy beef programs or alliances in which cattlemen, packers and/or retailers cooperate (GIPSA Rule) or are not a small, independent cattlemen who agrees with Callicrate, then you are a lower form of planetary protoplasm.
To run with Callicrate and his separatist crowd, you MUST distrustnearly everyone else’s motives and integrity and believe that everyone must be set against one another in order to prevent cheating, collusion and coercion. Industries must be broken up into little separate segmentsand mom and pop companies, feedyards and ranches must be all independent of each other and trade groups must be separated by very small interest areas — and it’s best if nearly everyone everywhere hates each other so no one gets too cozy. In other words, efficiency, cooperation, leverage of capital and skill, economies of scale, competition to serve the customer – all the hallmarks of a growing, efficient free enterprise capitalist system must be foresworn to satisfy theparanoia of people like Callicrate and organizations like R-CALF and OCM.
Why do we not just ignore these charges as just the ravings of a radical, far out cattleman and purveyor of beef? Because while Callicrate’s charges are brash and apparently just baseless opinion, they are only by degrees wilder than the charges factions within the Cattlemen’s Beef Board have been making against NCBA for the last year. Callicrate’s charges bring to the fore a problem the industry needs to understand thoroughly and deal with right away to get our only national promotion, research and education organization back on track.
The bottom line is this: do you want people in charge of the beef industry’s marketing efforts like those who have reversed the 20-year declining trend through CBB’s past leadership and the contract work of NCBA, USMEF, ANCW and others? Or do you want people and organizations in lock step with Callicrate’s marketing theory ofdestroying consumer confidence in beef and attacking packers, retailers and foodservice operators instead of working with them to process and merchandise beef? Anyone out there want the checkoff to work with Eric Schlosser of Fast Food Nation and Food Inc. andMichael Pollan of “Omnivore’s Dilemma” to promote our beef?
Look for a Special Investigative Report from AFF closely examining and exposing this situation very soon.
On the blog today:
1) See the post card Mike Callicrate sent all good Catholics in Colorado Springs diocese.
2. Read about the major Senate EPA vote any day now and what you can do to help.
Click here for freemarketcarnivore
Click to go to AFF Facebook page. You’ll need to log in or Register (it’s free) to see the page.
Past issues of the Sentinel are available on our website at www.agribusinessfreedom.org
Help Us Expose Hidden Motivations & Real Agendas
Invest in Your Future.
We are engaged in national efforts that could shape the future of livestock and meat marketing, industry structure and world trade for decades. Animal welfare activists like the Humane Society of the U.S. are engaged in an aggressive campaign to change the way production livestock are raised, housed, doctored and slaughtered. Please join with us and help make sure AFF’s independent voice of reason is out there.
If the 2006 elections made the road more challenging, the 2008 elections doubled the difficulties. NOV. 2 revealed that livestock producers, feeders and the meat production chain are not the only Americans sick of government spending, regulation and interference. Many taxpayer/voters believe in limited government and we must reach out to them to help us reclaim America from the federal government. Please help us preserve your freedom to innovate and adapt to the 21st century consumer.
We need your check today or your visit to our website, where you can use a credit card to make your contribution.
Mike,
At the close of this tirade, Steve mentions the “animal welfare activists like the Humane Society of the U.S.” – Give me freakin’ break!
This guy’s gone over a waterfall in nothing bigger than a canoe, and unfortunately lived to tell his strange story.
Well, it looks like the battle continues…
Best Regards,
Rich
Mike,
I did not learn that prayer in Catholic school, but I know it & recite it much too often. As for Mr. Dittmer’s piece of fiction; I feel, that when people Bold words, in correspondences, it reflects a bit of their character & true intentions. It seems that Steve & his organization may be motivated by words of Hate, destroy, crooked, attacking, stealing, & lower form of planetary protoplasm (my favorite).
Courage, trust, truth, community, responsibility, compassion, relationship, neighbor & friend are seldom used these days, and perhaps only in a separatist crowd.
Thank you & your team for what y’all do. I want that post card.
Kevin
Well, . . . it got noticed!
Greg
I’m totally in line with you, Mike! Don’t let the barbarians get you down!
Love & light.
Becky
I guess the two of you don’t hang out together in COS?
Hello Mike,
You need to find a higher class of groupies. Good work!
Bill
Mike,
My 86 year old papa read this on the john this morning and sent word to you “thanks for the help in “moving” things along first thing this morning “. He always has said only people you care about have opinions you care about. What a journalism farce. What a clown!
Keep it up. Never Weaken.
George
Mike,
Cinch that saddle tighter and remember you can always tell just how fast a pig is running by how loud it is squealing.
AG
Mike,
Did Dittmer miss the news about record levels of obesity, heart disease, cancer, sugar diabetes and the connection to our modern highly processed food? Our industrial food system is, in fact, killing us! Perhaps he should take the Walmart meat challenge you talked about on the Brownfield Show.
Beth
Hey Mike, Dittmer lives in Colorado Springs. Just think you could change his life too: http://www.youtube.com/mikecallicrate#p/a/f/2/1748c7AzcDQ
Amy M.
Mike,
Does Dittmer always write like that? Have they run out of steam beating up on Dudley Butler and need a new target?
Dittmer said “Callicrate cannot believe either NCBA’s policy division or Kansas Livestock Association’s (KLA) policy side can accomplish all they do on the dues money they receive from cattlemen.” What a great twist of the truth. Wasn’t your point that they accomplish plenty, too much even, as they hurt cattlemen with their own money? Better they should just steal the money, spend it on booze and sit around in a drunken stupor and not do any harm with it.
Dittmer said “He believes the answer is that they have to be stealing money in order to be as good and effective as they are. “Wasn’t that the point, that they are bothstealing cattlemen’s money and “good and effective” at hurting them with it?
LC
Mike,
Sure Dittmer and the checkoff guy are doing a great job, just like they did for the Dairy, Hog, and Poultry farmers. Im an old man and watched, raised em all and watched as guys like Dittmer and NCBA ruined each one as a means for familys to make a living. The tragic part is family operations overwhelmingly participated in thier own destruction, just like rancher are doing today.
SA
Mike,
Consumers can’t change their behavior because they are not provided with the education necessary to so. You are right, Mike, our nation is overfed and malnourished – our bodies have become toxic waste-zones. Our food system has become a channel of genocide, albeit, a gradual variation. A decrease in U.S. food production, coupled with high oil prices and a weakened dollar, will only make matters worse. The food that we eat is destroying our bodies. Human beings have been reduced into mere consumer machines, blindly marching to the beat of death’s drum. Aggressively increasing our domestic/local food system is an economically favorable option, & will also provide significant health benefits via nutritionally dense food.
Gifted individuals who are still capable of independent thought, while adhering to a high moral standard, need to engage in some creative & progressive “trailblazing” efforts – via education and awareness initiatives. Encouraging people to become self-sufficient would be another method.
It is one thing to identify a problem – but the implementation of an awareness campaign is a fundamental component for change, particularly within the beef industry. In my humble opinion, I believe that in order for real change to occur, even in the smallest capacity, the mission must be preached beyond a limited audience – the audience MUST expand. With that being said, we should not rely on solely on a few individuals, such as Mike, to to be “lone crusaders”.
If this doesn’t occur soon, the day of CHOICE (or what’s left of it) will expire – and power will be absolute and “change” will be obsolete.
In short, localizing our food system and other areas of our economy could potentially avert a domestic crisis by increasing our food supply – and supporting local producers. In the meantime, I will remain very skeptical, while preparing a functional, producing system of sustainment for my family unit. A day of reckoning will come – protect yourself and those you love by supporting local beef producers, such as Mike Callicrate!
Spread the word.
We are facing hard times, folks! This is a problem we are passing on to our children and their children. How loving! Someone step up and promote something bigger than yourself!
ARM
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” — Edmund Burke.
Mike, you’re a good man and YOU ARE doing something. Thanks for fighting the good fight. I’ve said it before: you’re true patriot.
Jason C.