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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: Mobile Meat Processing
The Politics & Economics of Food – A presentation at Lamar Community College March 2014
click to enlarge I studied Animal Science at Lamar Community College in 1972 and 1973 prior to completing my Animal Science degree at Colorado State University. A lot has changed in agriculture as Land Grant institutions have taught students that … Continue reading
Mike Callicrate featured in “Foodopoly” by Wenonah Hauter
Foodopoly: The Battle Over the Future of Food and Farming in America Wenonah Hauter grew up on a family farm that her husband runs today as a Community Supported Agriculture Project (CSA), which is part of the growing local food … Continue reading
Training a new generation of meat cutters
By Hal Walter When Mike Callicrate decided to open Ranch Foods Direct back in 2000, he didn’t realize he’d practically need to rebuild an entire trade to do so. However, when he advertised for employees he found the industrialization of … Continue reading
Integrating Local Produce Through Colorado Proud School Meal Day
Mike Callicrate start at 25:15
Mobile Meat Processing Unit Achieves USDA Certification
For immediate release May 16, 2011 Ranch Foods Direct demonstrated the mobile meat processing unit last November at Venetucci Farm south of Colorado Springs. The unit received a grant of inspection from the U.S. Department of Agriculture on May 9. … Continue reading
