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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
The Packer and Retailer Mess
CHAINFEEDING – Typical chain store feeding operation, north of Denver, handles an estimated 20,000 head per year for National Food Stores. Others nearby handle up to 40,000 head per year. Feeders are purchased direct, bypassing marketplace, and go from feedlot … Continue reading
There’s an Economic Term to Describe this Phenomenon …
The powerful meatpacking cartel has made sure nothing is done to stop their stealing. Last weeks packer margin was over $1,300 per head, representing nearly $2 billion dollars per year on an annual basis in stolen profits for just the … Continue reading
Let’s Feed People Instead of Corporate Interests
How can an industrial livestock operation transition from feeding corporations to feeding people? Downsize, diversify, and sell direct. Just east of the Colorado-Kansas border in the Republican River Valley watershed, annual precipitation is around 17 inches per year. Winters can … Continue reading
What Doesn’t Kill You Podcast – Biden takes aim at Consolidation and Monopolies
Listen to podcast.
How much income has the cattle producer lost to the meatpacking and Big Food cartel?
The USDA retail beef price report from July 13, 2021 quotes the average Choice beef price at $7.46 per pound with the average live cattle price at $120/cwt. A finished cattle weight of 1,400 lbs. x 42% retail yield = … Continue reading
