The document discusses the declining fortunes of farmers and ranchers in the beef industry due to consolidation and control by large meatpacking companies. It notes that over the last 20 years, about half a million ranchers have quit the business as they receive stagnant beef prices while land and input costs rise. The meatpacking industry earns high returns while most farmers operate at a loss. The solution proposed is to restore connections between producers and consumers by establishing local and humane slaughter and processing systems to reduce farmer exploitation by "Big Food."

1. Connecting Producers and Eaters
Restoring Health and Prosperity
By Mike Callicrate
1
Western Colorado
Food and Farm Forum
January 10, 2015

2. *All Fresh Choice Beef – USDA-ERS Data
35.0%
40.0%
45.0%
50.0%
55.0%
60.0%
65.0%
70.0%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1950
1975
1995 1996 1997
1998
2002
2000
2006
1999
Farm share of the consumer retail beef dollar
A picture of abusive market power
2012
2009
2013
2014

3. Average return on equity before tax (ROE)
Retail grocery: ROE = 21% (last 6 years)
Meat packing: ROE = 17% (last 6 years)
All Farming & ranching: ROE = NEGATIVE 0.54%
(last 13 years)
Packers--for those with sales > $500k - Before tax ROE, 2002-2009: 17.38% - source: http://www.bizminer.com/industries/Meat-
packing-plants-2011/
Retail grocery--food marketing institute book - http://www.fmi.org - 2003-2009 average: before tax ROE = 20.75%
Cattle--for the farm typology "cattle" meaning primarily cattle operations in USDA/ERS annual surveys -
http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/ARMS/
3"What we support prospers, what we feed grows." - MikeCallicrate.com

4. Farmers and Ranchers
Eaters
BIG FOOD
Exploiting Producers and Consumers
4"What we support prospers, what we feed grows." - MikeCallicrate.com

5. Barry Lynn's Cornered is...
"A manifesto for our time."
--Thomas Frank, Wall Street Journal
5

6. Eric Schlosser, author of the best seller Fast
Food Nation, has an apt description of the
industry.
Over the last twenty years, about half a
million ranchers sold off their cattle and quit
the business. Many of the nation’s remaining
eight hundred thousand ranchers are fairing
poorly. They’re taking second jobs. They’re
selling cattle at break-even prices or at a loss.
The ranchers who are faring the worst run
three to four hundred head of cattle, manage
the ranch themselves, and live solely off the
proceeds… Ranchers currently face a host of
economic problems: rising land prices,
stagnant beef prices, oversupplies of cattle,
increased shipments of live cattle from Canada
and Mexico, development pressures.
6"What we support prospers, what we feed grows." - MikeCallicrate.com

7. Farmers and Ranchers
Eaters
THE SOLUTION
BIG FOOD
7

8. "What we support prospers, what we feed
grows." - MikeCallicrate.com
8

9. "What we support prospers, what we feed grows." - MikeCallicrate.com 9

10. "What we support prospers, what we feed
grows." - MikeCallicrate.com
10

16. Cattle holding pens are 10x10 compartments to
limit movement and keep animals calm.

22. 22
Refrigerated trailer transports carcasses
from mobile unit to cut plant

23. 23
Slaughtering animals where they are raised means:
- More humane treatment
- Less stress means better quality meat
- 37% less weight transported to market
- Slaughter waste becomes valuable soil nutrients
- Increased rural employment

24. 24
Carcasses from mobile unit are hung for
dry aging or cut into primals and boxed.

25. 25

26. "What we support prospers, what we feed grows."
MikeCallicrate.com
26
Creating a new community space for
eaters, growers, family farmers, ranchers
and local businesses, separate and safe
from Big Food and Wall Street.