LivestockDirect

What LivestockDirect does

LivestockDirect (legally MTZ, LLC) is a Kansas-based, family-owned marketing services company that serves seedstock cattle breeders in the United States. The company was founded by Abram Mertz, who also owns and operates River Creek Farms, a purebred Simmental seedstock operation that hosts two production sales annually — a positioning the company uses to market its services as battle-tested in real-world conditions. The core offering is a bundled three-pronged marketing system consisting of catalog printing and mailing, SMS text alerts to buyers, and targeted digital advertising campaigns, supplemented by custom ranch apparel and hat printing and an art upload portal. The company has marketed over 4,000 seedstock sales and helped market over 850 seedstock sales, with case-study outcomes showing buyer reach expanding from 1,500 to 15,000 potential buyers without budget increases for clients like K-LER Cattle.

The business model is project-based and quote-based, with no publicly disclosed pricing. Revenue streams include catalog printing and mailing services, digital advertising campaigns (delivering 250,000+ additional impressions per sale), SMS text messaging, and custom apparel (15+ years of operation, 100+ brands). The go-to-market is sales-led and direct, relying on phone outreach (785-320-6890), website inquiry forms, and JotForm-scheduled meetings, with a client portal (dash.livestockdirect.net) for repeat customers. Customer segments are primarily mid-market seedstock cattle breeders, with secondary segments in ranch operations and select adjacent verticals (construction, beef production) for apparel. The company differentiates itself through domain expertise (operating its own production sales), data-driven mailing list optimization (analyzing 3.5 million+ mailings to identify 8-10% outdated addresses), and a content marketing strategy including a free guide and educational blog targeting breeders.

The technology stack is conventional marketing operations tooling — digital advertising platforms, SMS gateways, print production, and analytics — with no proprietary platform or AI/ML capabilities disclosed. The company is privately held with no external funding, no parent company, and operates as a 3-4 person team (Abram Mertz, Dani Mertz, Mindy Swartz) based in Kansas. Geographic scope is limited to the United States, and the Terms of Service explicitly state website use is intended from within the US.

Name

LivestockDirect

Legal name

MTZ, LLC

Website

https://livestockdirect.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

LivestockDirect is a family-owned Kansas marketing services company that helps US seedstock cattle breeders promote their annual production sales through catalog printing, SMS alerts, targeted digital advertising, and custom apparel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Marketing Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Animal Production (115210)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Livestock & Herd/Flock Operations Management Advisory (Nutrition, Housing, Performance) (AFACAJAL)

Keywords

• Seedstock cattle marketing
• Cattle sale catalogs
• Direct mail marketing
• Agricultural SMS marketing
• Custom ranch apparel

Headquarters

HQ city

Manhattan

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Catalog Printing & Mailing Services: Print and mail high-quality catalogs and postcards for cattle sales. Includes mailing list management and cleaning services to target the right buyers.
2. Digital Advertising Services: Targeted digital ads that retarget households and increase visibility during sale periods. Delivers additional ad impressions (250,000+) leading up to sales.
3. SMS/Text Messaging Services: Text alert services to notify buyers when catalogs arrive and keep sales top-of-mind during final weeks before sale day.
4. Custom Apparel & Hats: Custom ranch apparel including hats, coats, vests, hoodies with embroidery or printing. Over 100 trusted apparel brands available. Project-based pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

LivestockDirect is a marketing services company that helps seedstock cattle breeders promote and fill their annual production sales. The core offering is a three-part marketing system: printed catalogs and postcards mailed to targeted buyers, SMS/text message alerts that keep buyers engaged in the final weeks before sale day, and targeted digital advertising campaigns that retarget relevant households. The company also provides custom ranch apparel and hats as a complementary product line.

Product overview

LivestockDirect is a family-run marketing services company (operated by Abram and Dani Mertz, who also own River Creek Farms) offering a three-pronged marketing system for cattle breeders: print catalog production and mailing, SMS text messaging alerts, and targeted digital advertising. The company also provides custom ranch apparel and hat printing as a complementary product line. All services are positioned around a 'proven system' refined through the founders' own seedstock sales and marketed over 4,000+ seedstock sales. The core offering consists of Catalog Printing, Text Messaging, and Digital Advertising services, supplemented by Custom Apparel and Art Upload tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Catalog Printing & Mailing High-quality printed catalogs and postcards that showcase cattle genetics and offerings, mailed to targeted buyers to drive engagement at seedstock production sales. Includes mailing list management and cleaning to remove outdated addresses. Targeted at purebred and seedstock cattle breeders running annual production sales.
• Text Messaging (SMS Alerts) Timely SMS text messaging alerts that notify buyers when catalogs arrive and keep seedstock sales top-of-mind during the critical final weeks before sale day. Targeted at seedstock cattle breeders who need to stay in front of buyers during peak decision-making.
• Digital Advertising Targeted digital advertising campaigns that retarget specific households surrounding a seedstock sale, delivering additional ad impressions (reportedly 250,000+ per sale) to drive buyer engagement and visibility. Targeted at seedstock cattle breeders wanting to amplify reach beyond their mailing list.
• Custom Ranch Apparel & Hats Custom embroidered or printed apparel including hats, coats, vests, hoodies, t-shirts, polos, outerwear, and dress shirts featuring ranch or company branding. Offered through over 100 trusted apparel brands including Richardson, Carhartt, DRI DUCK, and Columbia. Targeted at cattle ranches, livestock operations, and allied agricultural businesses needing branded apparel for teams, sale events, and trade shows.

Quantifiable outcome

• Buyer reach expanded from 1,500 to 15,000 potential buyers without increasing marketing budget
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• CowBuyer.com: CowBuyer.com is an online cattle listing and marketing marketplace that connects buyers and sellers around upcoming production sales. It is directly comparable as a digital marketing channel for seedstock sales, overlapping with LivestockDirect's digital advertising and SMS offerings.
• Hereford Publications Inc. Hereford Publications Inc. produces the Hereford World magazine and related marketing services for Hereford cattle breeders. It is directly comparable to LivestockDirect's catalog printing, direct mail, and advertising offerings within the same seedstock breeding niche.
• DVAuction: DVAuction is the leading online livestock auction platform, providing marketing, bidding, and broadcasting infrastructure for cattle sales. It is a direct competitor because breeders using DVAuction for online bidding often bundle in marketing services, mirroring LivestockDirect's role in driving buyer attendance and engagement.
• CattleUSA: CattleUSA is an online cattle marketplace and auction platform that provides listings, sale calendars, and marketing exposure for cattle producers. It is comparable because it offers digital marketing reach to seedstock and commercial cattle sellers, directly overlapping with LivestockDirect's digital advertising services.
• Angus Media: Angus Media is the publishing and marketing arm of the American Angus Association, producing the Angus Journal, advertising, and digital marketing services for Angus breeders. It directly competes with LivestockDirect's catalog, advertising, and promotional services within the seedstock segment.

Others

• The Cattle Site: The Cattle Site is an online news and market data portal for the global cattle industry. It is a thematically adjacent platform that distributes content and advertising to the same breeder audience, serving as a complementary or alternative digital marketing channel to LivestockDirect's services.

Regional players

• Working Ranch Magazine: Working Ranch Magazine is a print and digital publication targeting Western U.S. cattle ranchers with editorial content and advertising opportunities. It is comparable as a regional print-marketing channel competing with LivestockDirect's catalog and direct mail offerings for the same rancher audience.

Broad incumbents

• Superior Livestock Auction: Superior Livestock Auction is a large, established livestock video auction company with extensive in-house marketing, catalog production, and advertising services for cattle producers. It competes with LivestockDirect at a broader, more institutional scale across the same seedstock customer base.
• BEEF Magazine: BEEF Magazine is a leading industry publication for beef producers offering editorial content, advertising, and marketing services. It is a broad incumbent competitor in agricultural marketing services, reaching the same cattle breeder audience with overlapping advertising and content offerings.

Emerging players

• Allflex Livestock Intelligence: Allflex Livestock Intelligence provides livestock identification, monitoring, and data analytics for cattle operations. It is an emerging adjacent player because its herd monitoring and data capabilities could evolve into marketing and buyer targeting services that compete with LivestockDirect's data-driven approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LivestockDirect
• Instagraminstagram.com/livestockdirect
• Xx.com/livestockdirect

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LivestockDirect