Fifteen years ago, in responding to the question of why producers were receiving so little for their livestock, Dr. John Helmuth (economist, meat industry expert, and longtime critic of meat industry consolidation) said, “There is an economic term to describe this phenomenon: It is called stealing.” Compared to a competitive time in the industry in the 1970’s, the monopoly power of the big retailers and meat packers has left today’s cattle producers nearly $600 per head short of Read More …
“We are in for a series of years with very low prices with very strenuous circumstances” – Daryll E. Ray, Professor of Agriculture and Resource Economics and Director of the Agricultural Policy Analysis Center (APAC) at the University of Tennessee Daryll E Ray received the 2013 Organization for Competitive Markets John Helmuth Award. “I knew John Helmuth for many years as tried to address excessive meatpacker market power,” said Mike Callicrate, OCM President. “Helmuth was one of the Read More …
“Mike (Callicrate) … again we are stronger when we are together taking these issues on … we don’t fear any of these groups, we will fight for these values and that is why we will stand up very proudly with you all you guys” – Wayne Pacelle, President and Chief Executive Officer of The HSUS speaking in reference to “Zilmax is particularly offensive in a lot of ways to eaters and producers” – Mike Callicrate, President of the Read More …
“Antitrust is really simple, it’s very narrow, it focuses on a simple set of metrics but it largely ignores unique features of agricultural markets like food safety and reliability. If we get these big conglomerates in our food supply chain – are we going to have quality, are we going to have reliability, are we going to preserve safety? Whenever you have a small number of producers your supply chain becomes very fragile, bottle-necked in parts and that Read More …
The independence of cattle farmers and ranchers is on life support. Once it is gone, we become serfs. The old plantation system is being reborn right before our eyes. We will be sharecroppers like in the days of old. We must then learn to kowtow. So you better start practicing your “yes sir boss” unless we muster up the courage and join forces to defeat “the man”. We must organize and generate power. We must be innovative. We Read More …
” … it’s kinda of intimidating because many of the giants of this work on concentration are here or are coming today, but what I’ve wanted to do is to try to take the really deep and important work that a lot of you have done and take it on the road to try to explain to a growing generation of food activists how we have really ended up dysfunctional food system and I would say a dysfunctional Read More …
“I will tell you right here today and will say it a thousand times all over the country we don’t want fewer farmers . . . we want more farmers – more farmers means more connections to the animals – it means that there are more custodians, more stewards, more people who know about farming”, Wayne Pacelle, President and Chief Executive Officer of The HSUS speaking at the 2013 Organization for Competitive Markets “Voices Rising From The Land” Read More …
Posted on August 13, 2013 | Tom Riter, WNAX Radio 570 Listen to interview: [audio:https://www.competitivemarkets.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/mikecallicrateonocmconventionresultsandissues8-12-2013-3.mp3] Organization for Competitive Market members just wrapped up their convention in Kansas City and are pushing for getting NCBA removed as a contractor for the beef checkoff. OCM President Mike Callicrate says they’re also going after the cattlemen’s group for alleged misuse of check off funding. He says they’ll be taking the Office of Inspector General to Court in order to receive information Read More …