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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 -
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.
- 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
Tag Archives: beef checkoff
Ranchers take on the beef industry over mandatory checkoff payments
By MIKE McGRAW and PEGGY LOWE | Harvest Public Media NEMAHA COUNTY, Kan. – From their small farms set in the rolling hills of northeast Kansas, two ranchers are raising a few cattle — and a lot of Cain. David … Continue reading
Building Connections between Producers and Eaters
A presentation at Rocky Mountains Farmer Union in association with The Humane Society of the United States at the Meeting of the Markets Summit on October 15th 2012. 00:55 How important is a Farmer? 03:10 Changing the way we eat … Continue reading
Local Catholic rancher sues USDA, others over alleged favoritism to large cattle producers
By VERONICA AMBUUL 9/7/2012 COLORADO SPRINGS. Catholic rancher Mike Callicrate, a St. Mary Cathedral parishioner, is the plaintiff in a lawsuit in federal district court in Kansas City against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Cattlemens’ Beef Board (CBB) … Continue reading
Attorney Daniel D. Owen Explains Checkoff Lawsuit
Excuse me … your Mr. Dittmer? (Meat packer and NCBA defender, Steve Dittmer was in attendance. He misrepresented the facts in a news piece he authored from the news conference the day before.). “Dittmer? Excuse me. Here’s a copy for … Continue reading
R-CALF USA Demands Suspension of Contracts Between NCBA and Beef Checkoff
August 28, 2012 The Honorable Tom Vilsack Secretary of Agriculture U.S. Department of Agriculture 1400 Independence Ave., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20250 Sent via facsimile and U.S. Mail: 202-720-6314 Re: R-CALF USA’s Demand for the Immediate and Permanent Suspension of all … Continue reading
