For Immediate Release CONTACT: C. Robert Taylor (334) 844-1957 Mike Callicrate (785) 332-8218 October 9, 2012 Lincoln, NE – During the past five years, profit margins by the dominant fertilizer corporations have soared as high as 60 percent even while corporate reports showed substantial excess production capacity, blatant signs of price-fixing and collusive behavior, according to alarms raised by the Organization for Competitive Markets. Despite the red flags, the Federal Trade Commission, the government body charged with insuring Read More …
Author: Mike Callicrate
The Progressive Farmer | Checkoff Spat Sparks Pushback: OCM Director May Lose Seat on State Farm Bureau Board
Chris Clayton, DTN Ag Policy Editor | Mon Oct 8, 2012 12:54 PM CDT OMAHA (DTN) — The Mississippi Farm Bureau\board of directors may vote to boot a director off its board because of his role in litigation involving the beef checkoff. Fred Stokes, a 77-year-old retired Army veteran who has run a small cattle operation in Mississippi, has spent much of his time over the past several years raising Cain against large market forces in agriculture such Read More …
What Hasn’t the HSUS Done Lately?
Ag and Trade | Food | By Ben Gotschall | 09/04/2012 The U.S. didn’t lose 91% of its pork producers, 82% of its dairy producers, 42% of its beef producers and 33% of its sheep producers overnight. It has happened by degrees since 1980, during my lifetime, and isn’t going to be slowed down, stopped, or even partially “fixed” in less than a year. In a recent column entitled “Waiting for the HSUS,” Daily Yonder co-editor Bill Bishop Read More …
2012 Convention Highlights
“Voices Rising from the Land” “Addressing the Threats to Independent Family Agriculture.” August 10, 2012 – 14th Annual OCM Food and Agriculture Conference, Kansas City, MO View Press Conference Video Welcome, Introductions, Opening Remarks Fred Stokes, OCM President PANEL – SETBACKS AND DISAPPOINTMENTS (From Left to Right) Fred Stokes, J. Dudley Butler, Bob Taylor and Bill Bullard J. Dudley Butler – GIPSA Rule Butler has recently returned to the practice of law after spending almost three years as Read More …
Stop the NCBA Beef Checkoff lies, the public deserves the truth
I am J. Dudley Butler. I am an independent family farmer, agricultural lawyer and former Admin. of the Grain Inspection Packer and Stockyard Administration at USDA. I’ve experienced first-hand the vicious, slanderous personal attacks by the meat packers, their chosen media minions, and the puppets like the leaders at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. These types of lies must stop. The public deserves better. The lone plaintiff, Mike Callicrate, in the lawsuit filed against USDA seeks to save Read More …
Is OCM Irrelevant?
September 4, 2012 By Mike Callicrate With much appreciation for the courageous leadership of our past president, Fred Stokes, I write my first message as OCM’s president. I recently asked Fred, “Is OCM irrelevant? How can there be competitive markets without competitors?” In his important and must-read book, Cornered, author Barry C. Lynn describes how every major industry is controlled by a few companies – cartels, shared monopolies and outright monopolies. Always considered one of the greatest threats Read More …
Lies, distortions and lawsuits
Farm and Food File for the week beginning Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012 by Alan Guebert Somewhere along the line it became acceptable to bend and break the record of public figures and firms without any consequence whatsoever. Shortly thereafter distortion and deception replaced discussion and debate and yelling and lying replaced compromise and progress. And that’s just in agriculture; in politics it’s even worse. The latest farm and food fight centers on the legal battle that pits the Read More …
“You’re Right, They’re Wrong.” -Will Harris, White Oak Pastures
Will Harris, White Oak Pastures, in support of HSUS help on checkoff lawsuit: [audio:http://NoBull.MikeCallicrate.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/willharrishsussupport.mp3] “Hey Mike, this is Will Harris in Georgia, White Oak Pastures, and I don’t expect you to call me back. I called to tell you that I read where the cattle folks castagated ya pretty good for partnering up a little bit with the HSUS, and I wanted you to know that you were right and they’re wrong. “I think that the HSUS agenda Read More …