How Corporate Giants Are Quietly Taking Control of America's Food Supply w/ Casey Parker

Summary

Podcast Summary: “How Corporate Giants Are Quietly Taking Control of America's Food Supply”

The "What is Money?" Show – Robert Breedlove w/ Casey Parker (April 17, 2026)

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Episode Overview

In this riveting episode, host Robert Breedlove is joined by Wyoming rancher Casey Parker to explore how major corporations are consolidating America's food—and more specifically, the beef—supply. The conversation dives into the challenges facing independent ranchers, the regulatory and economic hurdles they encounter, the questionable labeling practices masking the origins and quality of beef in the U.S., and Parker’s mission to fight back through grassroots organization and transparency.

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Key Topics & Insights

1. Beef Labeling, Imports, and Transparency

(00:00–01:35, 29:24–30:41)

• USDA Labeling Loophole: Beef imported from countries like Brazil or Australia can be packaged in the U.S. and legally labeled with a "USA" sticker, misleading consumers about its origin.

  “They bring the beef over...but because they're repackaging it, putting it into a new package here in the United States, they can slap that USA sticker on it.”
  – Casey Parker (00:05)

• Quality and Testing: No U.S. requirement for pathogen, chemical, or antibiotic residue testing on imported meats repackaged domestically.
• Residue Risks: Antibiotic and hormone residues are common, raising concerns about human antibiotic resistance and hormonal health, particularly for young men.

  “If there's antibiotic residue and people are eating that, it causes antibiotic resistance... We already know that 50% of men in their 20s right now have less testosterone than their 80 year old grandfathers.”
  – Casey Parker (00:24)

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2. Casey Parker’s Background & Ranching Approach

(01:35–06:14)

• Back to Agriculture: Parker transitioned from running power sports dealerships to full-time ranching in Wyoming post-2020.
• Wagyu Focus: Chose Wagyu for its superior marbling and unique healthy fatty acid profile.

  “That marbling... actually has a different fatty acid profile and it's more like olive oil... It is healthier than actual olive oil itself.”
  – Casey Parker (03:16)

• Regenerative Practices: Emphasizes direct-to-consumer sales, rotational grazing, and regenerative agriculture to build healthy soil and resilient pastures.

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3. The State of American Ranching: Corporate Consolidation

(06:15–13:21)

• Small vs. Large: 95% of U.S. ranchers have fewer than 100 head of cattle; most are barely profitable.

  “Three out of ten years ranchers actually make the money…”
  – Casey Parker (08:20)

• Industry Shrinkage: America has lost 17,000 ranches annually; the Big Four packers are thriving while small ranchers fail.
• Import-Export Imbalance: High-quality U.S. beef is exported, while cheaper, foreign beef is imported for domestic consumption.

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4. Economic & Regulatory Obstacles for Small Ranchers

(13:21–19:40, 53:45–56:14)

• Rising Costs: Input costs (diesel, feed, land) have increased by 600% in five years, with uncertain cattle prices and prohibitive land costs hindering expansion.
• Processing Bottleneck: Small ranchers pay $4/lb to process beef at USDA facilities—giant corporations don’t, due to in-house capacity and economies of scale.
• Regulatory Barriers: Opening a USDA facility is a multimillion-dollar ordeal, impossible for independents. Small processors are also folding under corporate pressure.
• Big Four Control: JBS, Cargill, National Beef, Tyson dominate the processing market, squeezing out independent facilities.

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5. Feedlots, Quality, and Environmental Concerns

(21:13–23:50, 44:15–46:07)

• Feedlot Practices: Cows in large feedlots (owned/contracted by giants) are routinely fed antibiotics and hormones to accelerate growth and survive crowding.

  “They're fed antibiotics. They're not just given an antibiotic if they get sick, they're fed them every day.”
  – Casey Parker (22:10)

• Environmental Issues: Waste management is a major concern; regenerative grazing on open pastures actually benefits soil health and carbon capture.

  “We're getting paid for them [cattle] to fix [the environment]... they're the ones that are actually fixing the soil.”
  – Casey Parker (44:18)

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6. Why Independent Ranchers Matter

(24:13–26:49)

• Decentralization: Small ranchers are crucial for food security, local economies, and preventing choke points that led to empty shelves in 2020–21.
• Antitrust Attention: The DOJ is investigating the Big Four for anticompetitive practices.

  “That's why the DOJ investigations open right now too, is because that's what's happening.”
  – Casey Parker (24:13)

• Rural Impact: Loss of ranches devastates rural communities as land is sold to developers and families leave agriculture.

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7. Casey Parker’s Resistance: The American Rancher Alliance

(27:43–30:41, 60:01–64:42)

• Producer-Owned Co-op: The Alliance links hundreds of independent ranchers and regional processors, creating a transparent, American-grown supply chain with QR-coded, residue-tested beef.

  “We're using a QR code system on our labeling... It shows you exactly where the animal was raised...with complete transparency.”
  – Casey Parker (27:43)

• Rapid Growth: Founded in November 2025, over 1,000 ranchers have joined.
• Response to Corporate Tactics: Anticipates resistance and “outbidding” attempts by mega corporations to fracture the movement.

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8. Health Claims & Food Policy

(33:10–38:33)

• MRNA Vaccines & Food Additives: Parker stresses their cattle are free of mRNA vaccines, which are in field trials but not widely adopted.
• Hormones & Antibiotics: Concerns around processed meats contributing to hormone imbalances and antibiotic resistance.
• Policy Shifts: There are some positive moves like a revised food pyramid, but government efforts have stalled.

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9. Practical Consumer Advice

(58:43–59:54)

• How to Buy Better Beef: Avoid grocery store beef unless origin/transparency is confirmed. Buy direct from local ranchers or through the Alliance.

  “The best way to do it is buy direct from a farmer or rancher... and that's why we have the alliance, because it's going to tell you all of those things and get American ranchers back onto American shelves.”
  – Casey Parker (58:59)

• Supporting the Movement: Tell friends about the Alliance, buy from transparent sources, and “vote with your dollar.”

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Notable Quotes (by timestamp)

• On misleading beef labeling:
  “It's absolutely mind blowing that something with a USDA sticker on it could come from another country.”
  – Host (00:00)

• On the economics of ranching:
  “Three out of ten years ranchers actually make the money, but they have to have that to either pay off from the previous years of losing or to...finance the next downfall to stay alive.”
  – Casey Parker (08:20)

• On corporate consolidation:
  “We’re losing 17,000 ranches a year, which is insane.”
  – Casey Parker (09:04)

• On Big Four profits:
  “It's a trip...the small ranchers aren't really making any more...but the beef prices in the grocery store are up significantly...”
  – Host (40:03)

• On transparency revolution:
  “American raised, American produced, American processed, American shipped...with complete transparency.”
  – Casey Parker (27:43)

• On the stakes for America:
  “This is not just about American ranchers or American beef. This is national security... If we don’t do something now, it’s going to be gone. It’ll be a forgotten industry, and we're at the mercy of whoever has that supply.”
  – Casey Parker (66:00)

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Timeline of Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Title | Highlights | |-----------------|----------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00–01:35 | USDA Labeling Exposed | Imported beef, no U.S. testing, labeling loophole | | 03:16–04:03 | Why Wagyu Stands Out | Marbling, healthier fatty acid profile | | 07:45–09:16 | Small Ranchers’ Plight | 95% have under 100 cattle, constant losses | | 13:21–14:37 | Direct-to-Consumer Challenges | High costs, marketing difficulties, price pressures | | 16:11–19:40 | Processing Problems | High processing costs for small ranchers, plant shutdowns | | 22:10–22:57 | Feedlots and Drug Use | Routine antibiotics, hormones for cattle in feedlots | | 24:13–26:49 | Why Independence Matters | Food security, DOJ investigation, rural decline | | 27:43–29:24 | Launching the Alliance | QR transparency, residue testing, collaborative movement | | 33:10–34:44 | Hormone, Antibiotic, mRNA Health Risks | Health impacts, uncertain mRNA vaccine use | | 44:15–46:07 | Environmental Impact | Carbon sequestration, regenerative grazing benefits | | 58:43–59:54 | Consumer Action | Direct purchase, Alliance as a solution | | 66:00–67:13 | Final Call to Action | National security, last stand for U.S. meat independence |

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Memorable Moments

• Casey’s analogy to decentralization:

  “Well, you know, like bitcoin and all of that. So I mean, it's basically decentralizing the system...and if anything happens whatsoever like it did in 20, 20, 21, and there’s...no competition left in the market and they control what the consumers are getting.” (24:13)

• Casey’s commitment to transparency:

  “We're using a QR code system on our labeling and it shows you exactly where the animal was raised...and then what predecessor picked it and then, yep, there it is. Oh, and then...It tells you what those, that cattle was fed.” (27:43)

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Where to Learn More & Support

• American Rancher Alliance: goarabbeef.org – Transparent, collaborative supply chain initiative.
• Direct Purchases from Casey Parker: realwagyubeef.com — Accepts Bitcoin, offers Wagyu shares and more.
• Social Media:
  • X / Twitter & Instagram: @YOWagyu

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Call to Action

• Educate yourself & others: Transparency is key; share knowledge about the food system.
• Vote with your wallet: Buy direct from farmers/ranchers you trust, or through the Alliance.
• Help the Movement: Spread the word, encourage ranchers to join, and demand labeling transparency in grocery stores.

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“This is our last stand. We have to do this for our kids and our grandkids.”
– Casey Parker (66:00)

Transcript

[Host]

It's absolutely mind blowing that something with a USDA sticker on it could come from another country.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah, they bring the beef over, ship it over here, but because they're repackaging it, putting it into a new package here in the United States, they can slap that USA sticker on it.

[Host]

And there's no testing requirements. You don't have to test for pathogens or chemicals. Antibiotics, none of that stuff.

[Casey Parker]

No.

[Host]

And what kind of residues could be in beef?

[Casey Parker]

Well, the residues are basically from the antibiotics and the hormones that are being put into the cow. If there's antibiotic residue and people are eating that, it causes antibiotic resistance in humans. Your antibiotics, if you get sick, are not as effective. And then the hormones that are in it, the person consuming that beef, it increases the estrogen level. So as for these young boys that are eating hormone filled meat, it's increasing their estrogen level. We already know that 50% of men in their 20s right now have less testosterone than their 80 year old grandfathers. There's huge reason behind it. A lot of it is.

[Host]

And so what about the mRNA?

[Casey Parker]

It's not technically used in the market, but they're doing field trials on it.

[Host]

This is a Bill Gates movement, I would assume.

[Casey Parker]

Probably.

[Host]

What's the value proposition? What's the mRNA? Vaccines for cows. So that they don't get what?

[Casey Parker]

I don't know. Nobody really knows the whole purpose behind the mRNA. If they do, then let me know because.

[Host]

All right. Casey Parker, welcome to the show.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah, thank you for having me.

[Host]

Yes. So you are a rancher in Wyoming.

[Casey Parker]

Yep, in Wyoming. A Wagyu rancher.

[Host]

Wagyu. So how about let's start with giving us your backstory. How did you become a rancher? And then I would also know why you decided to go Wagyu.

[Casey Parker]

Sure. So I grew up in, on a farm, small farm in Illinois. And then I, when I got married, we ended up owning a bunch of businesses and then when 2020 hit, sold the businesses and decided I'm gonna go back to agriculture island by full time. So we came out here to Wyoming and we had like, we still had like a small farm when we lived in Tennessee, but we didn't, it wasn't like full time agriculture like we're doing now, but we went back to it and yeah, here we are. And man, have you ever tasted Wagyu? Like, yes, like, you know, that's what we had to go with for sure.

[Host]

What were the small businesses you were running when Covid hit?

[Casey Parker]

So we had several power sports dealerships Power sports dealerships.

[Host]

What?

[Casey Parker]

So like ATVs and side by side?

[Host]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Casey Parker]

In a couple different, several different states. And yeah. So it was, it was fun, it was exciting times.

[Host]

Yes. And so Wagyu, let's. For somebody who eats an enormous amount of beef, myself and a lot of our listeners do, what is it that makes Wagyu so special?

[Casey Parker]

It's just the marbling. That marbling and then the marbling that's in that meat actually has a different fatty acid profile and it's more like olive oil compared to regular like beef fat. They've done some studies on it recently that you can look up. I don't know the full studies on it, but it, it is healthier than actual olive oil itself.

[Host]

Wow.

[Casey Parker]

So it's pretty, it's pretty interesting. Yeah.

[Host]

Does it have to do with the omega ratios? It's my understanding that like grain fed cattle has, I believe it's like too much Omega 6. I could be completely wrong about which omega is out of balance compared to grass fed. Grass finished.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah, it's the, yeah, it's the Omega 6 versus the Omega 3. But the Wagyu, even though it's green finished, everything, it's higher than any grass fed that you would find. Yeah. And then you get all that delicious marbling. Yeah, I bought awesome fats that are needed.

[Host]

Yeah, I bought a couple Wagyu steaks at my local farmer's market here this weekend. Actually, it was the first time that I bought like a real official Wagyu rib eye. It was like 100 bucks, but I was like, you know, stinks Valentine's Day and whatnot. So I didn't cook it right probably, but it was, it was still delicious.

[Casey Parker]

Did you get the heart shaped once?

[Host]

I did, yes.

[Casey Parker]

There you go.

[Host]

So walk us through a day in the life of a rancher.

[Casey Parker]

I mean it's, it's something new every single day. Now we do direct to consumer here versus like just a cow calf or a background or a finisher. So it goes from taking care of the cattle and we delivering calves and then we do AI and embryos and all of those things and then obviously feeding them. And then we do a regenerative pasture program. So we're constantly moving our cattle and we're planting cover crops like sorghum, Sudan. I want rye, veg, turnips, all of those things. And so it takes some time to replant hundreds of acres of that so that they can move, especially out here in Wyoming, because the grasses, you only have about Three, maybe four months of growing season at all. And the rest of the time it's brown. So we have to have a lot of winter cover crops for them to graze throughout the year as well. And then packing orders and doing website stuff and to, to get orders and then shipping those all across the country. And we drive five hours every other week to go get dry ice here. Wow. We're in no man's land.

[Host]

Dry ice in Wyoming. Yeah.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah.

[Host]

So do you have a large crew or is it just predominantly a family based offline husband?

[Casey Parker]

Yeah, that's it. And then our kids are young. You have 1400 out here.

[Host]

1400. And how many cattle can you run? It's my understanding you can have like one head of cattle, if that's the right terminology, per acre.

[Casey Parker]

Not in Wyoming. So In Wyoming it's 33.3 acres per head.

[Host]

It's 33. So I spent the last 16 years in Humboldt county and there's a lot of ranchers there. I think what they're doing predominantly in Humboldt county is, is they're raising cattle to sell them to feed lots. So it's kind of like that first stage of life. You got a bunch of open land, grasslands all year long. It doesn't freeze ever. But there's not a lot of ranchers in Northern California, at least in my area and community that were from, you know, start to finish. And that's what you're doing, right? So you guys are, you're breeding cattle.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah.

[Host]

So you have cattle that are having babies and you're raising those babies?

[Casey Parker]

Yes. Yeah.

[Host]

You don't, you're not buying teens, if you will?

[Casey Parker]

No, no, no, no. We're doing it from, from start to finish out here and.

[Host]

Yeah, yeah. And so how many small ranchers are there in 20, 26? I mean, it seems like the small rancher has a lot of challenges. What's the, the state of the industry look like and pertains to the small ranchers versus these large corporations?

[Casey Parker]

About 90, I think it's 95% of ranchers in America are under a hundred head of cattle. Wow. I think it might even be under 50 head of cattle. It is, yeah. It's an extreme amount. Most of them are small ranchers.

[Host]

And these small ranchers, they're selling to

[Casey Parker]

the large outfits, to the packers. Yeah. At the sale barns.

[Host]

And what are the challenges that your average rancher in the States is, is dealing with?

[Casey Parker]

Well, really like the, the cost of everything have gone up at least 600% just even in the last five years. And the prices of cattle, I mean they, they've gone up recently a little bit, but there's going to be a crash and it's going to hit hard. And they're still making up from the previous years where they were losing money. So three out of ten years ranchers actually make the money, but they have to have that to either pay off from the previous years of losing or to try to help finance the next downfall to stay alive to have their ranch. I mean, we're losing 17,000 ranches a year, which is insane.

[Host]

So 17,000 ranches are going under annually at this point?

[Casey Parker]

Yes.

[Host]

And is, is the production being replaced? So is it consolidating? Are these large outfits or large feedlots or mega corporations producing what the small ranchers that are going out of business are producing? Are we looking at a reduction in overall cattle?

[Casey Parker]

That's a reduction in the cattle. And then they're importing, obviously. See, America has the best beef in the world and they, the big four packers, they take the American beef and ship it overseas and sell it for a premium price and then they import cheap beef for the American consumer.

[Host]

And where is the beef that's coming into America come from?

[Casey Parker]

Mostly Brazil. I mean with, I mean it. Sometimes I'm coming from Mexico, but right now with a screw worm issue, it's not coming from there, but mostly Brazil.

[Host]

And the reason, so this is an assumption. So the reason that in Australia comes

[Casey Parker]

up from Australia too, that's so wild.

[Host]

And so we're able to import it from these jurisdictions that can produce it cheaper, you know, like Brazil would be an example. I suppose. So the overall beef that's getting sold in the United States, the volume is probably stayed similar to what it was over the last few years, but the prices aren't increasing because we're importing it from third world countries that are producing it cheaper and they're, they're willing to take less money and their costs are less.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Host]

Okay. And, and what are the pressure points as far as like the raising costs? Is this just standard dollar denominated inflation, you know, of your cost of operating on all fronts and dollars is going up and you're not able to raise your price, the price of your product?

[Casey Parker]

Yeah, I mean, it's just, you know, the cost of diesel and the cost of feed and just everything involved and that, well, the land prices alone and then with the interest rates and I mean, land prices have just soared in the last, you know, five, six years. That's astronomically.

[Host]

And is that making it Challenging for the efficient and more successful small ranchers. They can't expand then because the cost to lease or purchase land is increasing.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah, exactly. Yeah, they can't. And they never know what they're going to get for their cattle when they take them to market either. And a lot of time they're losing. For the most part right now the prices are decent, but like I said, they, it's kind of a flip flop situation. But they never know what they're going to get in the end, you know, and some could expand, but because they don't know or like if they're trying to go direct to consumer to try to. That's kind of like the other outlet that ranchers have tried to go to to try to make more money. They just don't have the people that are buy and it's not guaranteed for them like whenever, you know, with quarters, halves or coals or something like that. So yeah, they just, they could expand but they, they can't. They're too afraid to. And I've seen that a lot with our producers.

[Host]

Yeah, the economic risk, I mean, if you don't know what your product is worth 12 months from now, how can you plan to expand your business?

[Casey Parker]

Yeah, yeah. Because you'll just, you'll just lose. And I mean especially when some ranchers have to finance their cattle and things like that and feed to get through and then they owe that bill in the end and. Yeah. And then they lose all their money and then some. And it's just, it's horrible.

[Host]

Yeah. So I would assume like you, a lot of ranchers and you just mentioned this, are trying to go direct to consumers. So the way I think about things is like the, one of the most effective ways to hedge yourself against commoditization would be branding. You could monopolize to hedge yourself against commoditization. And I think that's what a larger, these, a lot of these mega outfits are doing. But the small and independent ranchers are probably trying to have a brand and sell direct to the consumers. In your experience, how effective is that? And that's something that you and your husband started doing right out of the gate.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah, it's very hard. People wonder why the prices are so much higher when you're a single rancher and you're going to a processing facility. You're paying in the end $4 a pound just to have it cut up, you know, so everybody's like, well it's so expensive. I can't afford direct consumer beef and I sell like you. So I have a different group of people but we've, we've sold Angus and we've sold all those things along the line as well. And I, and I work with so many direct to consumer ranchers. But yeah, it's just the costs are extremely high. You're your own marketing company and that is super hard for a lot of ranchers. It's getting your name out, building websites. The packaging material is outrageous, the shipping costs are outrageous and then people lose interest because it's just too expensive for they can go to the grocery store and buy it for half the price. The majority of people are in the grocery store, you know, and you have your few niche people but it's just not guaranteed. It's just like guaranteed.

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[Host]

So did you say it's it costs $4 a pound just to butcher and process the cattle?

[Casey Parker]

Yeah.

[Host]

And is that across the board for small ranchers or is that, is that also an a, a average cost that these mega corporations like Cargill?

[Casey Parker]

No. No. So it's just the small ranchers because you're having cut into little stakes and all those things. And being that you have to use the USDA plant, some of those smaller USDA plants kind of price gouge you? They just do. And like there was, I had a producer last week or two weeks ago. Anyway, they went to have one process. It cost them eighteen hundred dollars to process deer, process the steer.

[Host]

And what's the, what's the wholesale or the retail value of that whole steer?

[Casey Parker]

So as for like what it would cost to pro, like the processing ends

[Host]

up being, what would, what would it be sold for? I guess that would depend on whether somebody purchased it. The whole cow, half cow, quarter cow, or if it was sold in individual states.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah. And even still, like even on the low end, I would say this is a very low end. $8 a pound on a whole carcass. But that's before the processing. That's just the beef itself to be able for a rancher to make any profit at all. So almost breaking even.

[Host]

So $8 a pound is basically the, the average production cost.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah.

[Host]

So then you got $4 a pound to process it. So your, your break even is $12 a pound retail.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah.

[Host]

Wow, that's, that's interesting actually I, I appreciate hearing that because you know, as I'm buying meat, I'm like, I'm buying paid 20, $30 a pound for this stuff. I'm thinking of like what. Why is this so expensive? And so you have to send your beef to a government approved processing facility.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah. USDA processor. Now there are 29 states that you can use just state inspected processing facilities, but they have to stay with inside the state. So like for my business where I ship, I have to use usda. But if you're somebody that you know it's just selling to people locally, you can, if, if your state allows it, you can use the state inspector to process their, their beef.

[Host]

But so I would imagine that some of the ranchers that are selling locally are trying to do their own processing and they could do so if the state approves their processing facility.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah.

[Host]

And what would it take to start your own USDA approved processing facility?

[Casey Parker]

A lot. The regulations. Oh God, yes. The government regulations behind it and. Oh my goodness, guess millions and millions. Millions and millions. Yeah, Hundreds of millions. It just depends on the size.

[Host]

So none of the independent ranchers in the country are trying to figure out how to process their own beef. It's just, it's, it's cost prohibitive. The regulatory impedance is too much. It's not even an option.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah. I mean even the processing facilities that we have, the local and regional processing plants, they're all going under right now. They're all shutting down. And that's part of what the alliance has been doing, is helping reopen these processing facilities and get them back up and running. Because, yeah, the Big Four is taking them out just as bad as they are the ranchers, if not worse.

[Host]

So who are the Big Four?

[Casey Parker]

Jbs, Cargill National Beef. Missing one. Jbs, Cargill National Beef. And.

[Host]

Oh, it's on the. Tyson.

[Casey Parker]

Oh, Tyson. Yeah, the chicken guys.

[Host]

Yes. And so how is it that these processing facilities are going out of business? It seems like they're positioned via regulation in a place within the supply chain where they're needed. So what. What market forces are they dealing with that's causing pressure on them?

[Casey Parker]

Well, the. I mean, the packers are just taking. The big packers are taking all the. All the supply. So that's basically how that's happening. Yeah.

[Host]

So the big packers have their own processing facilities. So they're not using these independent processing facilities that the small rancher uses.

[Casey Parker]

Exactly.

[Host]

And they're purchasing cattle from producers predominantly, or what are the big Four doing? How do they get meat for their supply chains?

[Casey Parker]

Yeah, so they purchase them from the auction houses, and then they'll put them into their feedlots and they. Or they'll contract with feedlots, grow producers to feed them out. But a lot of them, like JBS has their own big processing, or not processing, but feed out, feed yard facility. So they're all those feed yards. They just. They buy the cow calf or the steers and they'll take them to their feed yards, feed them out. Erica would ship them.

[Host]

And so these feedlots, they wouldn't really exist without these large mega corporations.

[Casey Parker]

Oh, they were. There are a lot of independent feed yards, but their standards are higher, for sure.

[Host]

And describe the difference between an operation that's sending it to the feedlot or these. I mean, so my. I grew up in California. I spent the last 16 years in Northern California. My father lived in Southern California. So I would drive through Central Valley from time to time to go visit family, and I would drive through all these feedlots, and it's just. It's bad. It's. It's not a good look. The cows look miserable. This is, like, inhumane. It's got to be bad for the environment. Can you share how. How bad are these feedlots, if at all, or is that a perception thing?

[Casey Parker]

I mean, having them in a confined area is kind of a perception thing. Sometimes that's just better management. But whenever they're doing these feedlots for the big Four, they're You know, they're stuffing them full of ionophores and, and, you know, antibiotics and hormones. You have to give them the antibiotics because there's. And close. Such close quarters of them and there's so many coming in and out. They constantly get sick. So they're fed antibiotics. They're not just given an antibiotic if they get sick, they're fed them every day. So they're giving the antibiotics and they're giving them the hormone pallet. So they grow bigger, you know, so. And the faster gain, the faster they make their money and just keep rolling with her, you know.

[Host]

And are these feedlots detrimental to the environment?

[Casey Parker]

Yeah, I mean, that's controversial, but I mean, I don't think they're helpful. I don't think they're helpful.

[Host]

When I think about a ranch like yours, 1400 acres, cattle grazing over 1400 acres, regardless of what the volume of the cattle is, they're moving around constantly. When you have impact and, and confined in some area where you're going to be going through enormous amounts of water, you have to dump the waste. You have to process the waste. I just, I feel like it, you know, it's a, it's a monocrop. So like you're describing that these, these animals are susceptible to pathogenic outbreaks. I'm sure it's a real issue.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah, it really depends on how they're getting rid of the waste is, I would say, probably the biggest issue with them.

[Host]

Yeah, yeah. So why is it important that we have small ranches and independent producers as opposed to these four mega corporations? Like what, what, what's the difference in how the world looks? I mean, I suppose that's kind of an obvious thing, but I'm curious your thoughts on why is it so important to have a bunch of independent small ranchers that can sustain their businesses?

[Casey Parker]

Well, you know, like bitcoin and all of that. So I mean, it's basically decentralizing the system, you know, with the big four packers, you know, they hold that choke point there. And if anything happens whatsoever like it did in 20, 20, 21, and there's the store shelves are just empty just because they have a break in it and they can control what the, what the branches are making, you know, at the, at the feed yards, there's no competition left in the market and they control what the consumers are getting. And that's why the DOJ investigations open right now too, is because that's what, you know, that's what's happening. So whether that comes about or if they get another, you know, just a billion dollar fine, which is nothing, you

[Host]

know, it, it's like a speeding ticket.

[Casey Parker]

It really is. I mean it's, they make that in less than 10 days.

[Host]

So what is the DOJ doing? I'm unfamiliar with this. There's an investigation from the DOJ on

[Casey Parker]

who it's, it's on all, I believe it's all for the packers. So they launching the investigation on them for antitrust laws. So you know, packers and stockyards and things like that. But we'll see what happens. You know, and I it. Whenever Trump first said that he was, you know, going to allow argent Argentina beef to come in the imports and stuff like that, I kind of wondered if he was setting them up because if they're getting cheaper beef but then still raising the box beef for the consumers, there we go. And there. And then right after that they launched the DOJ investigation.

[Host]

So you think Trump was potentially setting them up just to protect their margins?

[Casey Parker]

Possibly, yes. It's a different kind of way of looking at it than a lot of people have been looking at it, but I kind of see it.

[Host]

Well, the economic incentives are typically what drive action in the market these days and I think that's pretty, pretty obvious. So what happens to these rural communities and families and local economies when these small ranches, you know, 1700 or 17,000.

[Casey Parker]

17,000.

[Host]

So we lost 17,000 ranches in 2025. So what's happening to those rural communities? What are these ranchers doing? The ranch goes out of business and they're back to the workplace. Move to the big city and figure it out.

[Casey Parker]

Selling off their ranches and getting developed, I guess, you know, selling them to developers so they can build more houses and whatever else, you know, it's just, it's sad. But they have to get out of it. When they can't, they can't survive.

[Host]

Yeah. And so how are you personally and professionally fighting back against this corporate consolidation? You, you've started an alliance and you're selling direct consumer. You know, the reason that I found you was on X you're making videos talking about what's happening, which I think is really important. Wake people up and get brand recognition, share the you is, you know, around why it's so important to buy direct and you know, educate the consumer. So can you break, break down the alliance and any other things you're doing to, to combat this?

[Casey Parker]

Yeah. So the American Ranger alliance is a producer owned cooperative and like I said, like 90% of the ranches in the United States are small ranchers. You cannot just go to the grocery store and put your beef on the grocery store shelves. You just can't. You're not big enough. But together we can. So it's basically a collaboration together to process. And we're using local and regional processors throughout the United States as well. Ones that are, you know, their doors are closing because they, they can't stay afloat anymore. But putting everybody back together, American raised, American produced, American processed, American shipped, like shipping companies, everybody in this entire pipeline that we're creating, American owned and raised 100% for the American consumers and with complete transparency. So we're using a QR code system on our labeling and it shows you exactly where the animal was raised, what ranch it was born on, what ranch, background did it, what ranch, you know, fed it after the last 60, 90 days and then what predecessor picked it and then, yep, there it is. Oh, and then it's. We have no hormones, no antibiotics, no mRNA, but it tells you what those, that kettle was fed. So if it was fed, I don't know, cutting seed holes and you know, potato starch or something, it's gonna tell you on there what they ate. So it's, it's kind of crazy.

[Host]

Yeah. So currently, if I go into the grocery store, let's say a Safeway or I'm here in South Florida, so we have Publix and I pick up a piece of beef that says it's USDA grade A beef. That doesn't mean that that cattle was raised in the states.

[Casey Parker]

No, absolutely not. No.

[Host]

Can you explain that a bit? You know, I've heard this and it's, it's absolutely mind blowing that something with a USDA sticker on it could come from another country.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah, yeah. They bring the beef over so it's processed. It's even processed over there. But they ship it over here. But because they're repackaging it, putting it into a new package here in the United States, they can slap that, you know, USA sticker on it. Oh, it's okay.

[Host]

Gosh. And there's no testing requirements. Right. So there's nobody asked. You don't have to test for pathogens or chemicals, antibiotics, none of that stuff.

[Casey Parker]

No. And that's what we're also doing with the beef foodie alliance is everything is residue tested, everything. So just to make sure, you know, nobody's doing anything stupid, you're gonna. Because she let you know there's only it's crook's in the gang somewhere. There's always going to be that bad egg. So we double check.

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[Host]

and what kind of residues could, could be in beef? Like I see, I've seen on social media some of the little machines that are injecting water into the beef. I don't know how prevalent that is or isn't. So what are the, what are the residues that, that people.

[Casey Parker]

Well, the residues are basically from the antibiotics and the hormones that are being put in to the cattle and the antibiotics. If there's antibiotic residue and people are eating that, it causes antibiotic resistance, you know, and in humans, so your antibiotics, if you get sick are not as effective. And then the hormones that are in it, they actually, in the person consuming that beef, it increases the estrogen level. So as for these young boys that are eating hormone filled meat, it's increasing their estrogen level. And then we already know that what, 50% of men in their 20s right now have less testosterone than their 80 year old grandfathers. There's a reason behind it. There's a huge reason behind it. A lot of it is people are not eating enough meats and animal fats. Animal fats are what actually support your hormone health. But when with those with that antibiotic or those, that hormone residue inside that meat, it's not helping. It's not helping.

[Host]

Those are, those are growth hormones, correct? Yeah. So I have two younger brothers and they're 10 years younger than me, 10 and 11 years younger than me. And growing up one of them had an enormous amount of like processed meats and cheese and like he would make quesadillas and whatever. What I, what he ate was predominantly processed, right. Animal products from cows. And I've thought to myself, and I don't know if this is real or not because he's, he's enormous. Like, he's taller and big. He's like, he's, I'm like, is this, is this guy my brother or not? And I just, I wondered, I'm like, dang. I wonder if it had anything to do with all of the hormones from a lot of this, this, you know, large corporate processed food that he'd been eating.

[Casey Parker]

Guess that's a possibility.

[Host]

Yeah. And so what about the mRNA, what's happening there now?

[Casey Parker]

There's. Now with that, it's more of just letting people know that we're not going to allow it in there right now. It's not technically used in the market, but they're doing field trials on it and some of those things.

[Host]

This is a Bill Gates movement, I would assume.

[Casey Parker]

Probably, yeah. I don't know. I wouldn't doubt it. But we just want to let people know that we will not use those in any of the cattle completely.

[Host]

So we have the value proposition. What's the MRNA vaccines for cows so that they don't get what?

[Casey Parker]

I don't know. Not really sure. There's, you know, I, I don't know. Nobody really knows the whole purpose behind the mRNA. If they do, they let me know because none of us have really figured, figured that out. I mean, the same things that the cattle have always had. There's already the vaccines for it that have been used for 50 plus years, you know, or longer, you know, they're already there. It's just, you know, the respiratory, the scours, it just the regular, regular things that, you know. But yeah, there's no need to add any more vaccines.

[Host]

So are you.

[Casey Parker]

We definitely have a protocol for that though.

[Host]

Yeah. Are you familiar with Alpha Gal? How much is this issue? What do you know about Alpha Gal?

[Casey Parker]

Oh, I don't know a whole ton about it, but I do know that it, it is going rampant over there in the east coast quite a bit and it's stopping people from being able to eat meat, red meat, which is terrifying because that is the, that's the number one food on. That's the only food on the entire planet that you can live off of with nothing else.

[Host]

Exclusively.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah, exclusively.

[Host]

Did you go. I'm curious, your personal journey, like for me, I grew up watching television commercials as a kid with Like Fabio being like, oh, I can't believe this is not butter. Right. Like, you guys should eat all these seed oils and don't eat too many red steaks and butter. It's going to give you heart attacks. Did, did you. Were you a victim of. Of that? And did you have like an aha moment in your life when you realize, like, wait a second, all this margarine and gar is probably not ideal and a bunch of stakes is not going to give me a heart attack?

[Casey Parker]

Yeah, I mean, I think everybody did. Anybody that grew up in our era, you know, because our moms are always like, oh, it's the bar trade. It's like fat. And then, you know, and once you get a little, like. But then, yeah, there was definitely an aha moment. There has.

[Host]

Has there been any positive developments from, like, RFK Jr. And the current administration to, like, make America healthy? I know that they inverted the, the food pyramid recently. We also did an interview with Dr. Ken Berry, who's a carnivore advocate.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah.

[Host]

So it seems like there's some forward development there. I was pretty excited, at the very least that RFK Jr. Was publicly talking about some of the topics that you. I mean, I felt like we skipped timelines. I'm like, is the government literally saying these things right now? Has anything come of that? Or is that. Was that just a bunch of BS that was. Sounded good.

[Casey Parker]

I don't know. I mean, honestly, since the food pyramid, I haven't heard anything else. We were talking with some people on the Maha movement that reached out to us about doing like, a regenerative grazing transition for ranchers and getting regenerative beef into, like, the schools and government buildings and things like that. But it just kind of. After the food pyramid, this was a little like right before they announced the food pyramid. But as soon as the food pyramid drops, we haven't heard anything else. Like, that's just been kind of been silent. Cricket.

[Host]

So interesting.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah. I'm sure they're working on things on the back end. I know, like broker islands. And they're working on different things that are affecting the ranchers, you know, with the state lands and things like that. So you never know. They've got so many things that they're trying to do right now. They're going to have to pick their battles.

[Host]

I think that makes sense.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah. That's how I feel about it anyway, because it's just there's an enormous amount of things that need to be done.

[Host]

Yeah. So the large four, these mega corporations, they are Importing beef cheap. And what, what other things are they doing that that would contribute to this consolidating force?

[Casey Parker]

So for instance, when I was talking about the rancher yesterday, and so they'll go to the auction houses together to go bid on these cattle, right? And they'll make a deal between each other saying, hey, you know, we're going to, this guy has, you know, this many cattle we buy them from every year, you know, we're going to bid it low. So like instead of the 215 that everybody else was getting on their cattle, they bid his down to like, they start his bid down at like 120, like, and then they just keep. Yeah, so he totally got screwed. You know, but then they're doing this thing with the meat crisis. You know, they, they're working together, which is this completely illegal? And the antitrust laws that were, you know, they're going on, but they work together as court coordinate pricing of the beef shelf. On the beef shelf. So they're not, there's really no competition. It's all consolidation. They know what they're going to sell that beef for. They're making record profit.

[Host]

I was just going to ask you that. So their profit margins are high. Record high right now.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah.

[Host]

And because it's crazy watching the beef prices increase over the last handful of years. It's been shocking as a consumer. And so it's a trip. Listen, hearing that the small ranchers aren't really making any more than they used to. I don't know, let's say five years ago. But the beef prices in the grocery store are up significantly. And so this is due to consolidation and monopolization. And so these large mega corporations are cornering the market in a way where they're able to protect and improve their margins.

[Casey Parker]

Oh yeah, yeah. Because they're selling the beef that we're raising over here even though our cattle prices are a little higher right now. They're sending overseas where they're paying big bucks for our, our beef over there.

[Host]

We're sending high quality beef out of the United States and importing lower quality beef into the United States to sell it to the average American consumer.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Host]

Oh my gosh. And so what about the practices? What, what is, how does a, a ranch in America compare to the ranches in South America? Or I would assume it's price pretty quality in Australia or New Zealand, but I would imagine Brazil or Nicaragua or some of these, you know, Argentina. What, what, what's the difference in, in, you know, cult. I don't know, agricultural practices, really the

[Casey Parker]

standard of care that's on them. You know, they don't have some of the vaccines that we have and things like that that have been around for a long time. Sick cattle, they'll still push them through. There's no governance there to stop it because they're still getting processed or they're just going over here and getting repackaged. And then that product. The USA doesn't matter if they're sick or they've got infections or any of that. It's just go right there, you know.

[Host]

And how would a sick cow with infections of some sort, how would that affect the quality if somebody's eating the meat? I mean, I'm sure there's some sort of a difference in quality, but what would be the difference in quality, if any, that you're aware of?

[Casey Parker]

It would be nasty. Outside of that, like, I, I guess it depends on like, what they're sick from and. Oh, like I just, I wouldn't want to eat a sick cat. That's just.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Casey Parker]

I don't think, you know, I don't think anything's really going to pass on to, you know, a human whenever they're consuming something like that, but, you know, could make them sick, maybe.

[Host]

And what kind of infections do you have to combat as a rancher? What kind of pathogens are you concerned are going to make the cows sick?

[Casey Parker]

I mean, there's a lot of like, viral diseases and things like that, and there's so many different things. That's why those, those speed yards are constantly giving them antibiotics. Because there's just, there's all kinds of things just like humans. If you would put a whole bunch of humans together and they're going to be, you know, and keep rotating them in and do a big old lot. They're going to be sick with all kinds of things. Viruses, you know, bacterial infections, just everything. Literally anything and everything.

[Host]

And I would imagine that on your ranch you have way less pathogen pressures because you're not in this packed feed lot.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah, yeah. Because ours are on open pasture from birth till their last day, so they have plenty of fresh air between them. And we. Plus we're not bringing in tomorrow all the time with them and swapping out, you know, from different areas and constant rotation. Like they're. It's the same cattle around each other the whole time.

[Host]

So it's a closed. Closed system for the most part. You're not introducing. Yeah. New stock.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah.

[Host]

What are the regenerative practices that ranchers like you implement?

[Casey Parker]

Basically like a Rot. Just a rotational grazing system to help restore the land, the nitrogen in the soil and just get better, better grasses, better soil carbon capture.

[Host]

What kind of carbon capture do you do?

[Casey Parker]

So it would just with building the nitrogen and the soil, it helps capture the carbon. So we, we actually are contracted with a goro. So basically they have airlines that pay, you know, for the carbon credits and then so we get paid to help with that and they come out and test our soil and check the nitrogen levels and all those things for the cattle. But I think it's so funny that they sit there and say that cattle are destroying the environment and all these things, but we're getting paid for them to fix it. Like they're the ones that are actually fixing the soil. So it makes no sense. It makes no sense.

[Host]

Yeah, so let's unpack that. What are the environmental impacts to grazing cattle and is it, would it be exclusive to like these big feed lots? Because, you know, I think that there's a lot of people that think that, you know, grazing cattle. Yeah, for the environment. Cow farts are going to boil the oceans. We need to all castrate ourselves and become vegans and eat bugs. It's like it's craziness.

[Casey Parker]

No, I. The cattle farts and the cow, it's the birds. But yeah, the cow burps are not doing anything even in the feedlots. It's kind of ridiculous concept. Like I said. I think the worst issue is from the waste and what they're doing with the waste. It just really depends on what they're doing with it. Now there is a lot of feed, feed yards and places like that that they take it and they actually use it as a fertilizer and you spray it, you know, and spray it onto fields for organic pastures. So yeah, and that's a good way to do it, but I think it just really depends on what you're doing and get how you're getting rid of all of that waste.

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[Host]

Are there any byproducts to these, these feedlots and the steer manure? Like, you know, in my, you know, I was a cultivator for a long time and so I'm familiar with organic inputs and whatnot. And I know that chicken manure had high levels of arsenic in it. And that was kind of a problem for people producing crops where they need to be concerned about heavy metals and, and whatnot. Is there any issues with the byproducts that come from cattle and these, from these large, these big feed lots? Is there concentrations of heavy metals or anything that you're aware of that would be not so favorable?

[Casey Parker]

Not that I'm aware of, but that would be something I would look into for sure. It's not something I've ever been asked before. Not sure, honestly. But I have seen like, you know, they use their own feed yards and stuff to spray their fields, which. Yeah, I've heard on the chicken, though, I have heard that. That there was higher levels. I don't think so. On the, on the cat. I just, I don't know though.

[Host]

And most of the cattle in the United States is being fed GMO grains. Corn predominantly. Right. So corn that's been sprayed with glyphosate.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah.

[Host]

Is being fed to the cows.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah. So, yeah, the glyphosate wouldn't be. Could be. Yeah. Would be an issue coming out in the waste.

[Host]

And what's the, what's the difference between a grass fed, grass finished cow and one that's been fed grains? Does that really affect the quality of the meat? Is that something that should be, you know, a concern? Like Ken Berry, for example, in a recent episode of ours, he said that he's not that, you know, specific around making sure that he eats grass finished cattle. He was fine with grain finished cattle.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah.

[Host]

And I, I didn't get to dig deep on that one, but I'm curious.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah. So cattle eat greens regardless because the seed heads at the end of the year for winter, that's what they're eating. If they're eating out on pasture, like if they were, if it was bison, you know to try to fetch for winter all those seed heads. That's great. So they eat it anyway and it's natural for them to eat it. But yeah, with the grass, grass fed grass finish there. They eat grass their entire lives. But normally it's bales of hay and they're in a confined area because they cannot gain weight. And there's no marbling or any of that on, on the meat for the most part. It's, it's very lean so and it's not very good. But then you know, then there's the grasshead which all ken grasshed anyway until they finish out in the last, you know, 90 days, 120 days. For us it's 500 days. But like with our, what we do is they stay on the regenerative pasture but we have a feeder out there that we go out and we feed them and every day so they're, they're grain supplementation. So we give them a non GMO corn and that's what they, they get supplemented that every day to help add the marbling in the grain or the marbling and the fat to the meat.

[Host]

And you said what's the difference in time for you to produce a Wagyu cow versus what the average USDA piece of beef in this grocery store is?

[Casey Parker]

So normal grocery store is about 14 months old is when they'll slaughter. If you're going with a private independent rancher, like they might go with you know, 16 to 18 months on their cattle but for us it's 34 to 36 months.

[Host]

Wow.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah.

[Host]

It's a significant difference.

[Casey Parker]

It's a long time. And then they're on feed for you know, 60 days to 120 days. We're on for 500 days.

[Host]

Wow.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah.

[Host]

And that's, that's because of your ranching practices or that species dependent.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah, but I would probably do it. Well, no, I wouldn't do. Well, it's the species Wagyu that we have to raise it out for that long. Like they grow super slow. But yeah, yeah. It's just so I'm curious.

[Host]

There's been times so I lived in Humboldt county and I would buy local grass fed grass finished beef from like two producers that were in a flat very coastal region of the county. And I, and, and I could be crazy about this. I don't know. I'm curious your thoughts. But there was a few other producers that I would get Beef from. From time to time where their cows were going through the hills. And I felt like the cows that were grazing through the hillsides were leaner, there was less marbling and they were less fatty than the ones that were on flatland.

[Casey Parker]

And so as I altitude cattle.

[Host]

No, pretty low altitude. I think like maybe 2000ft, 1500ft would be the highest. But the beef that I enjoyed the most was going to be on the coast at like 10, maybe 20ft elevation. And so I've, I've had it in my head and I don't know if this is real or not, that if the cows are walking up and down hills more than if they're on flatland, they're going to be tougher meat. And then there's been times where I'm getting grass finished product, I think out of Pennsylvania. And it's like very marbled. So does the terrain that the cattle is grazing on have any effect on the quality of the beef and the marbling and the fat content or, and, or is it species dependent as well?

[Casey Parker]

It's kind of old, honestly. It's both. But it does. Like the actual, like they're, how they're moving around is a huge factor. So like we raise wagyu, but ours, our wagyu is not like a five. That. But we don't really like a five. It's too much, I think. So we raise it more like to be like A, A3. But it's because our cattle are moving around in Japan, they get that a 5 and consistently because they're in basically horse stalls, the size of the pins that they're. They live in, they don't move. But yeah, the confinement, not moving around. That's why if they're going up and down those hills. Yeah, absolutely. They've got more muscle fibers and which is the actual meat itself versus the fat.

[Host]

So, and, and what's this? A three, a five. Does it start at a one and go up to a five for. And that's. Is that a wagyu specific thing? And what are the differences?

[Casey Parker]

Yeah, it's a Japanese grading specific. So that's, that's how they. They grading in Japan. They don't have that system here, but just as a comparable to the traditional wagyu style.

[Host]

And it, and it's based, it's just an eye test based upon how much marbling there is.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah. And I mean there's also like tenderness score tests and all of those things as well. But yeah, a lot of it has to do with just the marbling.

[Host]

And what are the species of cattle that are being predominantly grazed or raised in the United States? How many different species of cattle are there?

[Casey Parker]

Oh, there's a lot of different species, but I would say Angus is probably the most predominant. Angus, Hereford, you know, but you have so many that are like Angus. So like Herefords are like Angus and then beefmasters like Angus and you just have. They're considered American or actually are English beef cattle, is what they're considered like the Angus style breeds. And then you have some of the other ones. Like in Florida you've got a lot of the Brahmas that eared cattle and. Yeah, and. And then some people are doing like the dairy crosses, which is kind of a bad word anymore, like the beef on dairy.

[Host]

But what is beef on dairy? What do you mean?

[Casey Parker]

So it's basically like an Angus with a dairy cow. So.

[Host]

So you can, you could both milk it and eat the steaks, is the, is the idea.

[Casey Parker]

Well, no, it's because like you had to, you know, breed the cow to get more milk. So you'll put an Angus bowl on it, that calf that you'll use that for your beef, you know, so. Yeah, yeah, but it's kind of. Yeah, it's controversial. I mean, in a way, I guess between ranchers, it's. It's kind of.

[Host]

And what drives a rancher to decide what species of cattle they want to raise? Is it. Is a location dependent or does that not like. Because I look at like, you know, a really hot place like Texas or here in Florida is very different than somewhere in Idaho or Wyoming. And so is there. Do different species of cattle do better in different climates?

[Casey Parker]

Yeah, absolutely. Because like you couldn't bring a Brahma cow up here to Wyoming. It would freeze to death.

[Host]

Okay.

[Casey Parker]

But yeah, but like Angus, they're very versatile. So you can actually raise them down in Florida and up here. But that's probably the. Why the, the majority of those cattle are those English style cattle because they're so hardy that you can pretty much take them just about anywhere. And then. Plus they also give you a good carcass yield and all of those things. So that's. Yeah, that's the majority.

[Host]

And how many other. Do you know approximately how many small independent ranchers there are in the United States?

[Casey Parker]

700,000.

[Host]

700,000 to which we're losing 17,001% a year over the last handful of years. We're losing.

[Casey Parker]

So we had 6 million in the 1980s and we're down to 700,000 and losing more.

[Host]

Wow. Is it is the overall product. I know I've kind of asked this, but is the overall production decreasing? It is because we're importing.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah.

[Host]

So the consumption nationally is probably not changing a whole lot, but the production is starting to be offshored somewhat.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah. And the size of the cattle are bigger than they were, like, say, 50 years ago, because. But you're also looking at the hormones and things like that that are increasing the size of the kennel. I mean, there is, you know, selective breeding and things like that that help, you know, the size of the cattle, but there's also the hormones and pumping them through as fast as they can and.

[Host]

Yeah, that makes sense. And so how many of. Would you say? 700,000.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah.

[Host]

So how many of the 700,000 are raising Wagyu?

[Casey Parker]

Not very many.

[Host]

Not very many.

[Casey Parker]

4,000.

[Host]

Yeah. So that's kind of a little niche.

[Casey Parker]

I don't even think there's that many. I think it. I think it's right. Well, you know what, it's grown quite a bit in the last two years. It might be about 4,000 reaches that phrase, like, you know.

[Host]

And the rest would be predominantly Angus.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah, predominantly. There's quite a bit of the Brahmas in the south because of the heat and things like that, but I would. But, yes, predominantly English breeds like the Angus.

[Host]

Wow. So what can consumers do to make sure that they're getting quality beef? You know, you go to the grocery store, you basically have to assume that anything at the grocery store, unless very specifically labeled, could have come from anywhere.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah, I don't really even trust it at the grocery store anymore. The. The best way to do it is by direct from a farmer or rancher that, you know, where it came from, when it was raised, how it was fed now. And that's why we have the alliance, because it's going to tell you all of this, those things, and get American ranchers back onto American shelves that they're supposed to be on in the first place, and then give the consumers that transparency and knowing exactly where all the problems that are happening like this addresses so many of them, I mean, if not most of them that we're having right now, just this one cooperative just. It's really fixing just about everything that we're facing right now within the industry,

[Host]

and that's the American Rancher Alliance. And you founded the American Rancher Alliance.

[Casey Parker]

I did, yeah.

[Host]

How long ago?

[Casey Parker]

Back in, let's see, in November.

[Host]

In November, yeah.

[Casey Parker]

And now we have over a thousand ranches on board, a bunch of, you know, a Lot of local regional processors. We've got stores, you know, ready, ready for us to get everything lined up. We're finishing some of the legal stuff you have to do. We have the largest antitrust firm in the country that is helping us with this. So finishing up those little T's and I's. And we'll be moving beef by the end of March.

[Host]

By the end of March. So a listener could go to the American Rancher alliance website or how would, how would somebody look at the quality of their beef and how would they know if they can. How would they find product that's coming from the alliance?

[Casey Parker]

So the alliance, when we get out into the grocery stores, I'm gonna, I'm constantly on social media, obviously, seeing you there all the time. But I'm gonna be announcing the stores that we are going to be in as the contracts come through. But we're gonna have the label on there. It'll say American Producer alliance. And then I'll have the QR code where you can scan it, see which ranch it came from, how it was raised, when it was fed, all those things on it. So that's the label on there was full transparency.

[Host]

Wow. I bet you you've been very well received by the ranchers that you've reached out to. How are you getting ranchers to join the alliance?

[Casey Parker]

Really? It started from the social media and within like a month, we already have like, I think 400 ranches on board. Incredible. Now we've got regional directors, we have field agents, and they're going to the ranches and, you know, ranchers know other ranchers too, so it's just like, hey, hey, hey, you know, come on. And it's, it's, it's grown very quickly.

[Host]

Have you caught the attention of the mega corporations?

[Casey Parker]

Yes, we.

[Host]

How's that played out?

[Casey Parker]

Nothing yet, but we are expecting some pushback for sure, eventually. You know, we've heard some things. They, they, they, we're on their radar, I should say big time. And, but that's why we have the law firms that we have and to keep us, keep us from any kind of craziness that they might do. So they're trying to attack us with. And, you know, we constantly have discussions like, well, what if they come in to some of our, our ranchers and say, okay, well, I'll pay you more for, for your cattle than they contracted you for, you know, because they're going to do it. They're going to come in and try to outbid our ranchers. So we're working on ways around that currently.

[Host]

Yeah, yeah. And so what can the average, you know, listener person who just wants to buy clean beef to, you know, what can we do to support this mission?

[Casey Parker]

Just try to. Sorry, like I can't even speak today. He says, let everybody know about the American Rancher Alliance. Go on there. If you know a producer, show them our site, the goarabeef.org and just getting the word out is huge because the more that people know about the ranchers coming together and this being real American raised meat and product, the less the big four can really attack us. Yeah, them going after the producers, you know, just them coming after the producers is a huge. No, no, like ship does. Do not come after the American rangers. And they're going to. But if our voices are out there and we're loud enough, it's going to be much harder for them to do that.

[Host]

Yeah. So sounds like a simple plan. Basically vote with your dollar, don't buy products from them. Buy products from small local ranchers or the alliance.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Host]

And so you're selling direct to consumers. You probably have, you know, a pretty comprehensive website and list of options.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah, it's realwuggybeef.com and so we have our wagyu beef on there and normally we have lamb and we do have a little pork left, not too much mango eatsa pork. But yeah, we're moving our ranch to Florida, to north Florida. So.

[Host]

Really?

[Casey Parker]

Yeah, so we are. So yeah, we, we're kind of just doing like small boxes and then the shares right now, the wagyu shares. So yeah, it'll be a little bit easier when we have to move and I don't have to try to clean out a big old gigantic cold storage.

[Host]

Yes.

[Casey Parker]

Excited to get down there. It's going to be amazing.

[Host]

Well, we've kind of ripped through this outline and I can't think of any other questions as, as a, you know, sovereignty minded, meet eating individual. I think we've kind of covered all of it. Do you have any final words of wisdom, thoughts you want to share? Anything that we skipped over and if not, where can people find you on the Internet?

[Casey Parker]

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Please share. You know, go arab beef.org get the message out there. You know, we have to take back the American beef supply because this is not just about American ranchers or American beef. This is national security issue. And if we don't do something now, it's going to be gone. It'll be a forgotten industry and we're at the mercy of whoever has that supply. So it's. This is, this is the last straw. This is our last stand. So, you know, come behind us and now help us get there and take back America's beef supply. And once we're finished with the beef and we get that figured out, then we are going to help the chicken in the pork industry. Fantastic. Yeah. This is a massive movement and we have to do this for our kids and our grandkids. We have to.

[Host]

Yes. Well, I commend you, you know, on your efforts. This is clearly a very important thing. And your website. So if people wanted to buy direct from you because you do accept bitcoin.

[Casey Parker]

We do.

[Host]

You might get some bitcoin paid orders after this episode releases. So what's the website again?

[Casey Parker]

It's real Wagyu beef dot com.

[Host]

And what are your socials?

[Casey Parker]

Why O Wagyu is. Let's see. Yeah, it's at Yow Wagyu and then the other one is at. The heck is it? I can't remember. I think they're both.

[Host]

And you're also on Instagram?

[Casey Parker]

Yes, at Y O Wagyu. Yeah, I think there was another one I had, but I can't remember what the handle is on it. I don't know. That's all right. Don't know anymore.

[Host]

Well, you know what, you're, you're focused on some important stuff here, so.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah.

[Host]

Well, thank you for your time. I've enjoyed the conversation and.

[Casey Parker]

Yeah, thank you.

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