Posted on January 26, 2024 by Mike Callicrate
How One Cattle Rancher Ditched the Industrial Meat Model and Forged a More Sustainable One
Cami Koons
ckoons@flatlandkc.org
Mike Callicrate and his son Teegan are hardworking ranchers. But they aren’t typical.
Almost 30 years ago, they bucked an industrial food production model focused on maximizing output. Instead, they focused on raising healthy cattle without the use of growth hormones or drugs and selling the meat directly to local consumers.
If producers expect to live off the land, they must find a place to sell their products, said Teegan Callicrate, Mike’s son who oversees the Callicrate Cattle Co. ranch, feedlot and slaughter operation in Saint Francis, Kansas.
“Ideally, they should be sold locally and go back to people in the communities that they come from,” Teegan Callicrate said. “That’s what I think this design can do for many communities across the world.”
New Human New Earth Communities 