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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
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
Testimony of Herman Schumacher, Herried, South Dakota, appearing before the Senate Agriculture Committee, June 10, 1998
Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman, Honorable members of the Senate committee, and Mr. Secretary. Thank you for the opportunity to present testimony here today. My name is Herman Schumacher from Herried, South Dakota. I am a cattle producer, cattle feeder, and … Continue reading
WE HAVE THE MOST RICH AND THE MOST POOR
There is Overproduction and yet Some People Starve — Our Country is The Richest in Natural Resources in The World and Yet Destitution and Suffering Prevail –The Condition Should be Carefully Examined and Remedies Proposed The principles on which the … Continue reading
Unintended Consequences of Allowing Captive Cattle Supply
April 28, 2020 By Gilles Stockton The collapse of cattle prices following the outbreak of coronavirus has most certainly got our attention and has sparked an intense desire to do something about it. One idea that has gotten traction is … Continue reading
