Mike Callicrate: Trump's Argentina Beef Plan is Bad Business for American Ranchers

America’s Beef at Risk? Argentina Imports, Meatpacking Cartels & Saving Local Ranchers (w/ Mike Callicrate)

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If importing beef from Argentina is “America First,” why are U.S. ranchers sounding the alarm? In this episode, Mike Callicrate—rancher, processor, and founder of Ranch Foods Direct—breaks down how meatpacking consolidation (JBS, Cargill, Marfrig, Minerva) squeezes family producers, why short-term “cheap beef” fixes backfire, and what consumers can do right now to rebuild real local food economies.

We cover:

The “Argentina beef deal” framing vs. the on-the-ground reality for U.S. ranchers

How 40+ years of consolidation drove half of ranchers out and liquidated ~10M beef cows

Why higher retail prices haven’t translated to healthy rancher margins

The 3-year reality of rebuilding a herd—and why this is a national security issue

“Pink slime” and how ultra-processed blends flood food service, schools, and hospitals

Antitrust 101: Sherman/Clayton/Packers & Stockyards Acts, the Robinson-Patman Act, and why enforcement matters

FTC under Lina Khan: blocking mega-mergers (Kroger–Albertsons/Safeway, Sysco–US Foods) and why sameness rules menus nationwide

The SNAP/healthcare loop: cheap calories today, higher medical costs tomorrow

Ogallala Aquifer depletion and the true costs we’re not counting

PRIME Act talk vs. the need for interstate market access for small processors

How local “maker-owned markets” can replace empty big-box grocery shells and keep wealth in town

Key takeaways:

“Cheap beef” from abroad isn’t free—it accelerates producer loss, hollows out rural towns, and risks food security.

Real reform means enforcing antitrust, ending deceptive labels, and prioritizing small-plant procurement.

You vote every day with your fork. Choose local ranchers, local processors, and independent restaurants that source transparently.

Action steps:

Buy direct from ranchers and regional processors; ask how animals are raised, harvested, and aged.

Support restaurants and markets that source locally (Colorado Springs examples mentioned in the show).

Tell your representatives to enforce Robinson-Patman and Packers & Stockyards—and to prioritize public purchasing from small plants.

Share this episode with someone who thinks “cheaper imports” solve everything.