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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
Category Archives: General Advocacy
It’s our last chance!
The following article appeared three years after the IBP lawsuit was filed. The largest poultry company, Tyson, purchased IBP, the largest beef packer, before the case went to trial in 2004. The jury awarded the cattlemen $1.28 billion, which was … Continue reading
Packer Concentration – Historical Context, by Domina Law and Mike Callicrate
Continuing on from the Domina Law timeline:
Family Farm Dairies Hope “Build Back Better” Helps Soon
America needs a new food system, free of the market predators that have forced producers and workers into lives of perpetual fear and bankruptcy. As of September 29th, 2021, one-hundred and seventy-eight of the best organic dairy farmers in the … Continue reading
What Monopoly Power Does to Farmers and Ranchers
What if a producer could avoid the big food cartel and sell direct? Rather than scaling up, and playing the fools game of “Get big or get out,” is it possible to scale back, improve meat quality, and sell more … Continue reading
The Packer and Retailer Mess
CHAINFEEDING – Typical chain store feeding operation, north of Denver, handles an estimated 20,000 head per year for National Food Stores. Others nearby handle up to 40,000 head per year. Feeders are purchased direct, bypassing marketplace, and go from feedlot … Continue reading
