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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
Today I’m thinking about hungry people, farmers, ranchers, exploited contract growers and abused food workers
Today I’m thinking about hungry people, farmers, ranchers, exploited contract growers, and abused food workers. I’m also reflecting on the corporate takeover of our government and nearly all major industries, including, perhaps most importantly, our food supply. Agricultural commodity prices … Continue reading
Mega Mergers Focus for Organization for Competitive Markets
The Organization for Competitive Markets recently wrapped up their annual convention. One of their primary concerns is the increasing consolidation in U.S. agriculture. OCM President Mike Callicrate says they’re closely watching proposed mega-mergers between ChemChina and Syngenta, Dow and DuPont … Continue reading
Area dairy farms shut down as milk prices slide
By Joe Mahoney CNHI State Reporter FileA cow is seen at Hemlock Valley Farm in Milford in this June 2014 photo ALBANY — Tim Tucek, a Chenango County dairy farmer, said it was a decision he couldn’t avoid given his … Continue reading
Ban On Meat Packer Ownership: Too Little, Too Late
By Mike Callicrate Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, a longtime advocate for fair markets, is once again reintroducing a bill that would make it unlawful for meat packers to own livestock more than seven days prior to slaughter. Similar legislation has … Continue reading
Broke Cattle Markets, Broken Cattle Feeder
The U.S. cattle industry has lost nearly half our cattle ranchers and over 70% of our feeding operations. Is it time to do something about the abusive market power of the meat industry? A self-explanatory table and a chart showing … Continue reading
