Author: Mike Callicrate

Important Sign-On Letter for LA School District Chicken Procurement

Mike Callicrate

OCM National Collaboration Members, On behalf of the Organization for Competitive Markets poultry committee led by Mike Weaver, I am reaching out to seek your organization’s support of an effort to ensure more locally-sourced, fair, humane, environmentally sustainable, and nutritious chicken is served in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) cafeterias. The LAUSD is the largest public school system in the state of California, and the second largest in the country. The district is considering bids for Read More …

America Returns to the Jungle

Mike Callicrate

A safe and secure food supply is essential to a free society The United States was always able to feed itself. Except for a few non-essentials like coffee, tea and bananas, we were self-sufficient. The British government, along with their corporate partner, the East India Company, saw unlimited potential to extract wealth through the American colonies. Our Founding Fathers, willing to fight for our freedom and sovereignty, risked their lives and the lives of many citizens, to save Read More …

The Beef Checkoff: A Broken and Failed Program

Mike Callicrate

Organization for Competitive Markets In the early 80’s, after several years of losing market share to other meats, especially chicken,U.S. beef cattle producers initiated a Beef Checkoff Program (Checkoff Program) to promote beef. The program came into being on the third referendum and was included in the Farm Bill in 1985 as the Beef Promotion and Research Act of 1985. In 1996, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) became the prime contractor of the Checkoff Program, receiving the Read More …

Meat of the Matter: Bigger is not better

Mike Callicrate

Article By Dan Murphy November 17, 2015 Here’s a trend producers know all too well: Corporate consolidation goes forward in the name of “efficiency,” and the end result is bad news for everyone other than management and investors. Newsflash: The Kraft Heinz Co. just announced that the company is eliminating 2,600 jobs and closing seven processing plants. That’s on top of the previously announced elimination of 2,500 administrative jobs. According to a statement by Michael Mullen, the company’s Read More …

The Return of the Beef Trust

Mike Callicrate

“You should be suing Walmart [instead of IBP], they are the problem. They tell us what they will pay and we have no choice but to pay you less” – John Tyson was at the 2002 NCBA convention to announce his intent to purchase IBP, the biggest beef packer in the world. Callicrate informed him of the cattlemen’s lawsuit against IBP for unfair market practices. “It has been brought to such a high degree of concentration that it Read More …

OIG Reconfirms Commitment to Produce Beef Checkoff Audit Documents

Mike Callicrate

October 15, 2015 For Immediate Release: OIG Reconfirms Commitment to Produce Audit Documents Today, before a federal judge in the U.S. District Court in Washington, DC, and the attorneys for OCM, OIG reconfirmed their commitment to produce thousands of documents related to the 2013-2014 audit report. This assurance was issued today during a status hearing a little more than a year after the Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) filed a complaint for injunctive relief in U. S. District Read More …

Failed Promises

Mike Callicrate

By J. Dudley Butler When Obama made grandiose promises about protecting farmers’ rights Many farmers were hopeful and saw a glimmer of light They turned out and supported Obama in his time of need Obama appointed Vilsack and Holder and told them his words to heed They gave grand speeches and promised big change But in the long run it was just more of the same Vilsack appointed Butler who knew the law and the facts But Vilsack Read More …

August 22, 2015: 17th Annual Food and Ag Conference

Mike Callicrate

Saturday, August 22, 2015 Conference and Membership Meeting 9:00AM-5:00PM AGENDA (Tentative) OCM 2015 REGISTRATION FORM 07:00 Registration 08:10 Welcome Mike Callicrate 08:30 Conference Purpose Fred Stokes 08:45 Case for Alliances & Coalitions Bill Bullard, Diana Moss 09:45 Coalition Report, HSUS on our side, OIG FOIA Issue Joe Maxwell, Angela Huffman, Matt Penzer</td 10:30 BREAK 10:45 Beef Tax Report Fred Stokes 11:00 Contract Poultry Producers Mike Weaver 11:15 Action Plan Mike Callicrate 12:00 LUNCH (Buffet available @ $25) 1:00 Read More …