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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
In fight against food waste, FoodMaven could do more harm than good
March 27, 2017 It’s early Friday morning on a summer day in the Arkansas Valley. The small farmer, already sweating and tired from picking, cleaning and boxing his produce, feeding the hogs and other animals, and changing the irrigation water, … Continue reading
The history of agriculture the world over has been a tragedy.
The Kansas Union Farmer, 1923 Building the Farmers’ Union, The Farmer’s Job While the farmer has been paying dear for his information the fact is finally dawning upon him that his boasted individualism and self-reliance are suicidal and that he … Continue reading
Why We Farm
Why Do We Farm? Not for Wealth, Prestige, or Power Chas. B. Wing, Farmer, Flower Grower and Seedman of Mechanicsburg, Ohio in Writing to the Farm and Fireside, Contrasts the Peaceful Life of the Farmer to the Turmoil of the … Continue reading
There is a Solution
by Gilles Stockton Grass Range, Montana January, 2017 By now, the disaster that is the cattle market has been factored into the coming year’s budget. For some it means the end of a dream to own a ranch, for the … Continue reading
Come with me to the Colorado Springs Together meeting on February 7 at Stargazer’s
Regardless of where you are on the political spectrum, the key theme this year is populism. The strongest sentiments involve returning control of the political process to the many, from the few. I am dedicated to building community through local … Continue reading
