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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
Meatpacker Break-Up Announced – Cowboys vs. The Oligarchs
I’m betting on the cowboys. March 5, 2026 news conference announcing the meatpacker break-up bill. A summary and the full text of the bill follow:
One Hundred Years Since the Last Monopoly Breakup – We Begin the Process to Restore Market Fairness
“The greatest threat to any free society is the concentration of power and wealth into the hands of a few.” James Madison Senator Schumer hosted a Food Prices & Household Costs Roundtable on February 26, 2026 Concentration of power and … Continue reading
Tyranny of the Middlemen
Should Walmart, Tyson, Cargill, JBS, Marfrig and other monopolists be scourged and shorn? Straying as far as possible from the intent of the Packers and Stockyards Act, Walmart is now a meatpacker – Should cattle producers be concerned? Should consumers? … Continue reading
Monopoly Busters Caucus Seattle Field Hearing
See full video of the hearing: From Farm to Kitchen Table: How Consolidation Spikes Food Prices | seattlechannel.org “What we’re seeing is the tyranny of the middlemen.” – Jonathan Kanter, former Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division. Congresswoman Jayapal … Continue reading
What Happens When Cattle Producers Are Gone?
The average November retail price for beef was $10.08 per pound. A 1,400 pound finished animal will produce around 42% retail cuts, or around 588 pounds of retail beef, not including offal. 588 pounds at $10.08 equals $5,927 per head. … Continue reading
