Ranch Foods Direct – Organization for Competitive Markets

Chipotle: Selling Idealism – Delivering the opposite

Mike Callicrate — Mon, 16 Jun 2014 14:16:46 +0000

The May 13th article, Soaring Earnings of Chipotle’s 2 Bosses Raise Investor Unease, inspired the following story of my experience with Chipotle: Years ago, when I first saw the Chipotle big burrito, “Food with integrity” bill board, I thought what a great marketing campaign. But was it true? I was part of an effort at Colorado College to replace Sodexo with Bon Appetit. Sara, a young student activist was leading the charge. We were successful. Bon Appetite is Read More ...

The Politics & Economics of Food – A presentation at Lamar Community College March 2014

Mike Callicrate — Mon, 14 Apr 2014 15:26:46 +0000

click to enlarge I studied Animal Science at Lamar Community College in 1972 and 1973 prior to completing my Animal Science degree at Colorado State University. A lot has changed in agriculture as Land Grant institutions have taught students that agriculture is a business, not a way of life, steering us well off the path of a sustainable food system. Hopefully we can see a shift back from the destructive industrial model to an agriculture that includes good Read More ...

Tyson Foods bans using cattle with Zilmax growth hormone

Mike Callicrate — Tue, 13 Aug 2013 01:35:11 +0000

AirTalk with Larry Mantle for August 12, 2013 Listen to interview: [audio:http://media.scpr.org/audio/upload/2013/08/12/beef.mp3] Tyson foods said it will no longer buy cattle fed Zilmax, a growth-inducing drug. What was the company’s motivation for the decision? Last Thursday market traders noticed cattle prices rise sharply. It was in response to news that Tyson Foods – a major meatpacker – quietly had sent letters to cattle feedlots indicating Tyson would no longer buy cows fed Zilmax. That’s a supplement designed to Read More ...

Lies, distortions and lawsuits

Mike Callicrate — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 13:25:34 +0000

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 ...