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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
Kroger just announced the end of Hero pay! Who will feed us?
Kroger, one of the largest food retailers, and a member of the meatpacker/retailer shared monopoly, just announced that their already low-paid workers are losing their “Hero” pay. Like Kroger, Walmart, Albertson’s/Safeway and Costco, the big meatpackers were already raking in … Continue reading
Seeking Freedom in America – Modern day slaves are denied justice
March 25, 2003 By Mike Callicrate “A 38-year-old poultry grower in my county in North Carolina committed suicide in his chicken house Sunday morning. After the first shock and sorrow for the family, I felt anger with myself for not … Continue reading
Salina Media Connection: Mike Callicrate on COVID-19 and the beef with Food Insecurity – YouTube
My interview with Greg Stephens, Salina Media Connection – A look back at how we ended up with four big meatpackers controlling the cattle market and today’s failed meat supply chain. The deck is stacked against small plants and independent … Continue reading
How We Got Here … The food security crisis in America
And how do we return to a safe and resilient food system? The year was 1981. It was the year we lost the cattle market. Clark Willingham, an accountant and an attorney, not ever a cattleman but certainly a wine … Continue reading
What about the PRIME Act? – Emergency Measures to Protect the US Meat Supply During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic
Published on May 4, 2020 Alan Lewis I. Background Longstanding policies that favor concentrated control by global conglomerates have undermined American livestock producers and curtailed local economic opportunity. The effects of this “meat monopoly” have been exposed by coronavirus. A. Many American … Continue reading
