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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
Trickle Down Effect? It’s Worse Now!
Since 1997 the producer share of the consumer beef dollar has declined an additional 10% or around $400 per head. Between 1975 and 1997 meatpackers, cooperating with each other and with the big retailers, had already taken 20% more than … Continue reading
HOW CAN YOU HELP MEN WHO WON’T HELP THEMSELVES?
“When the people quit voting for their enemies and stop crucifying their saviors …” Thanks to NFU historian, Tom Giessel
Will Biden Stop the Stealin’?
Retailers are robbing the bank and the meatpackers are driving the getaway car. Key to the growth of the current meat monopoly has been the worship of bigger-is-better, and the misguided belief in the concept of economies of scale and … Continue reading
Will the New Vilsack USDA Build Back Better?
Congress has betrayed the original USDA mission, leaving farmers bankrupt, land degraded, and people hungry. On May 15, 1862, Abraham Lincoln signed into law an act of Congress establishing “at the seat of Government of the United States a Department … Continue reading
Building Community Around Local Food – Montana Organic Association (MOA) 2020 Conference
See Mike Callicrate’s presentation at the MOA Conference here: View the slideshow directly here: Links from slideshow listed below: Slide #17: https://meathaccp.wisc.edu/assets/beef_carcass_dry-aging.pdf Slide #18: https://sites.google.com/site/communityfoodutility/ Slide #21: Link 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHX6Ejbk8O0&app=desktop Link 2: https://nobull.mikecallicrate.com/2018/01/24/rotten-exposes-a-deeply-corrupt-and-broken-food-system/ Slide 25: Link 1: https://farmactionalliance.org/cargillfoodfraud/?emci=989ff322-6d2e-eb11-9fb4-00155d43b2cd&emdi=4869c4b9-6f2e-eb11-9fb4-00155d43b2cd&ceid=13997041 … Continue reading
