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“The money and political power of Wall Street has stolen America’s food system, bankrupted our farmers and ranchers, mined our soils, polluted our environment, wasted our precious water, and left us with expensive industrially produced food that makes us sick.” – Occupy Wall Street Food Day, December 2011 -
Industrial Agriculture and Urban Sprawl – A model of growth that’s made to fail. -
Ranching Reboot Episode 4, Mike Callicrate “It’s time for a third revolution against monopolies”
Above: Ranching Reboot – Episode 4 – Mike Callicrate, owner of Ranch Foods Direct, sat down with us to talk about all manner of things from cattle markets, to public food spaces, the Bander, his feedlot and the pathway he built to market.
He shares valuable lessons learned from fighting against the commodity production system and how he’s built his own pathway to the consumer.
We talk about small community slaughter plants and public meat spaces and what that could look like going in to the future. We discuss environmental challenges, the food police and what it means when a Dollar General comes to town.
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- This Cattleman's Got A Beef
Photo: Sean Cayton - 2003People producing good food from happy animals, while improving the environment, shouldn’t have to fear the government.
Photo above featured in a 2003 article: This cattleman's got a beef, Mike Callicrate and Ranch Foods Direct take on the big meat packersby Kathryn Eastburn
Author Archives: Mike Callicrate
Mike Callicrate on Monopoly Power, Maker-Owned Markets, and the Fight for Rural America
Doomer Optimism 2.65K subscribers Nov 25, 2025 Welcome to Beef Week! 🄠Nate sits down with rancher, entrepreneur, and farm advocate Mike Callicrate for a deep dive into the crisis facing America’s cattle industry—and the path forward. Mike traces the … Continue reading
Colorado Springs rancher says importing Argentinean beef could hurt US ranchers
See Full Video The U.S. is the highest and best consuming market in the world for beef, so why have half of America’s ranchers gone out of business? Why have 10 million cows been liquidated, leaving Americans with such a … Continue reading
The Profitable Regeneration Summit October 2025
Regenerative producers working to heal the extensive damages of industrial agriculture, while restoring health to the land, people, and communities, should be earning a living income and should be experiencing a high quality of life. To advance slides, click on … Continue reading
Do Maker-Owned Markets Offer the Transformational Change Needed to Feed Ourselves?
Rural communities have been ravaged by Wall Street and global corporations. The communities that once fed us are unable to feed themselves. Safeway stores in Lamar and La Junta, Colorado are closing, leaving empty store fronts and food deserts behind. … Continue reading
Concentration and Consolidation has Destroyed the World’s Food Systems
In 2000, IBP president and CEO, Robert Peterson said, “Those who fight consolidation in the food industry will not be able to compete in world commerce.” A year later IBP sold to Tyson, a transnational conglomerate. Showing preference to … Continue reading
