Rural Heroes: Mike Callicrate
Rural Heroes: Mike CallicrateLeave It Better Aug 4 Mike Callicrate’s got life by the balls. Literally. After a stint as a professional bull rider, he invented the Callicrate bander, which is used throughout the agricultural world to castrate bulls. It’s a best-selling invention made in Mike’s hometown of St. Francis, Kansas. We first met back in 2013 at a documentary screening in Colorado Springs where he commanded the attention of the packed room by calling out the corrupt fracking companies who were destroying the water and air of hundreds of farms in the region. We hit it off immediately and promised to come out to his farm and film. Five years later it finally happened. My son Abraham was along for the ride and doing his best at the age of four to be a ‘sound-guy’ which basically meant wearing oversize headphones and occasionally walking into and out of the camera while I tried to film. We didn’t have a childcare option, so we made it work. lol. Anyhoos, Mike was incredibly patient with Abe, and even showed him how to sow grass seeds into the wind. A job that he was much better suited for. We filmed for a couple days on Callicrate Ranch, which is a multi-species operation with cows, pigs, and chickens. Whereas most independent farms are struggling, Mike’s is thriving, in large part because his invention allowed him the capital to build a vertically integrated local meat system. He raises the cattle on farm, slaughters them on farm in a mobile slaughter facility, and then trucks the meat to a store in Colorado Springs called Ranch Foods Direct. Local meat direct to local people. There are a lot of wonderful things about Mike, but one of his best qualities is that he’s an unvarnished truth teller. He calls it like he sees it. And he’s not afraid to stand up for what he believes in. Check out this viral video with Mike below:  Another thing that makes Mike a rural hero is that he actually does what he says he will do. A few years back, an Australian distributor offered Mike to make his Callicrate bander in Pakistan, which would have saved an incredible amount in production cost. It would have made Mike and the distributor untold millions. But he said no. He knew how important the factory jobs were to the people of St. Francis. That’s why the product is still made proudly in Kansas. Here’s to Mike and all the heroes in rural America who are bringing jobs to Main St. instead of taking the ‘easy’ way out. best thoughts, graham You’re currently a free subscriber to Rural Revival Project. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.  Like  Comment  Restack© 2025 Rural Revival Project 1851 W. Ehringhaus St. #104, Elizabeth City, NC 27909  |
