Our Story
Mike Callicrate, the founder of Ranch Foods Direct, is a rancher, business entrepreneur and family farm advocate. Considered the “go-to expert” on the negative consequences of industrial meat production, he served as an advisor for the films Food Inc. and FRESH and for several best-selling books including Fast Food Nation and The Omnivore’s Dilemma.

A native of Evergreen, Colorado, he earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Colorado State University in 1975 and then moved to St. Francis, Kansas, where he began his career in farming and ranching.

In 2000, he formed Ranch Foods Direct to sell high quality naturally raised beef directly to customers. Since then, it has grown into a prominent, well-respected marketing outlet in the community for small farmers and artisanal food producers from throughout the region. Today Mike’s farm follows a multi-species regenerative agricultural model, using the natural synergies between cattle, hogs and chickens to optimize the health of the livestock and the land.

CUSTOMER TESTIMONIAL:

A few years back, Mike Callicrate received a call from a Texas cattle-country native, whom offered some inspiring words with his testimonial. Patrick Orr left this detailed voicemail on Mike Callicrate’s phone, explaining how he had not tasted such good beef in many years, ever since he left Texas cattle-country. 

Our Pledge, Our Purpose
  • We believe food should be good — and good for you.
  • We believe food is a sacred gift.
  • We believe our health and well-being is best served with whole foods, minimally processed, free of chemicals and artificial preservatives.
  • We believe quantity should not come at the expense of quality.
  • We believe food, animals and the land should be managed using sustainable, humane practices that promote the long-term health of rural families and communities.
  • We believe food should be produced as close to our tables as possible by people who love the soil and care for the land.
  • We believe the people who produce our food should earn a just income.