Great Ranches of the West – Organization for Competitive Markets

Chain Ranch – OK. Great Ranches of the West

Mike Callicrate — Thu, 14 Aug 2014 13:34:57 +0000

“Ralph and Darla have never forgotten the dustbowl lessons of how fragile this land is. Before Ralph took over ranch operations from his father, wildlife had been scarce for the previous sixty years, killed off by homesteaders and unstable environmental practices. Now whitetail deer, birds, wild pigs, and other creatures native to this Oklahoma region flourish where the Chains have taken the time to create specific habitats for them on the ranch. ‘My goal is to put this Read More ...

Chain Ranch – OK. Great Ranches of the West

Mike Callicrate — Tue, 27 May 2014 19:48:47 +0000

“The century-old tale has been passed down through six generations of ranchers, undiluted by time. In 1893 – fifteen years before Oklahoma would become a state, Oscar Chain traded $50 and a shotgun for 160 dusty acres situated between the North and South Canadian Rivers in Dewey, County. Looking over the ranch today, it seems to me that the founder of the Chain Land and Cattle Company got a fabulous bargain. With 60,000 acres spread over seven different Read More ...

It’s Still Called Stealing

Mike Callicrate — Tue, 28 May 2013 13:53:48 +0000

Grade and yield buying used to be called “Grade and Steal” by most cattlemen. Today, it’s called Value-Based Marketing by the big packers and their cheerleaders, like Certified Angus Beef’s (CAB) Miranda Reiman. In her March 4th article, “Value-based cattle marketing dominates”, Reiman attempts to mentally condition Angus breeders and other cattlemen to accept their fate in Big Food’s supply chain where performance enhancing drugs, added flavorings, Pink Slime, various pre-digestion methods, and meat recalls, do more to Read More ...