Callicrate rails against NCBA, explains HSUS involvement

Thursday • August 16th, 2012 AgriTalk Radio Representing the Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM), beef producer Mike Callicrate appeared on AgriTalk radio Tuesday to discuss the organization’s lawsuit against USDA and the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, which seeks to end NCBA’s role as a beef checkoff contractor. [audio:http://media.cattlenetwork.com/audio/Callicrate.mp3] NCBA’s CEO Forest Roberts provided a response. [audio:http://media.cattlenetwork.com/audio/RobertsOCM.mp3]

Champions of Competitive Markets Meet in Kansas City

August 16, 2012 Kansas City, MO – Proponents of independent family farm and ranch agriculture met this past weekend at the Organization for Competitive Markets’ “Voices Rise From The Land,” 14th annual meeting. The conference began at a Thursday evening press conference with President Fred Stokes announcing litigation seeking a halt to the flow of money to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association from the cattlemen’s beef checkoff. The suit names the United States Department of Agriculture, Cattleman’s Beef Read More …

OCM 2012: Callicrate vs. USDA: Lawsuit claims beef checkoff paying for lobbying

Daniel D. Owen – Polsinelli Shughart PC August 10, 2012 | Filing Date for Complaint for Permanent Injunction MICHAEL P. CALLICRATE, Plaintiff, v. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (PDF) Mike Callicrate is the named plaintiff in the lawsuit filed against the US Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service, Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB) and the CBB’s Beef Promotion Operating Committee. Callicrate is the owner of a meat packing facility and retail market called Ranch Direct Foods in Colorado Springs, Read More …

Allies of competitive markets to gather in Kansas City

PRESS RELEASE Organization for Competitive Markets P.O. Box 6486 Lincoln, NE 68506 www.competitivemarkets.com Contact: Fred Stokes 662 476 5568, cell 601 527 2459 tfredstokes@hughes.net August 6, 2012 KANSAS CITY, MO. — This week’s annual convention of the Organization for Competitive Markets will start out with a bang, as a bold new strategy to combat misuse of commodity check-off programs is unveiled at a pre-convention press conference Thursday afternoon. “We will be making a very important announcement regarding how Read More …