Sullivan Farms

What Sullivan Farms does

Sullivan Farms is a family-owned and operated cattle seedstock business headquartered in Dunlap, Iowa (35 Industrial Drive), owned by John and Dede Sullivan and operated with their children (Sara, Sage, James, Nick) plus team members Josh Elder and John Elder. The operation produces Shorthorn, ShorthornPlus, and black crossbred cattle — including bulls, females, embryos, and semen — and distributes through two annual production sales (the on-farm Maternal Legends Sale in October and the online No Bull Sale on cwcattlesales.com) plus additional online auctions throughout the year.

The technical foundation is a high-powered embryo transfer (ET) program designed to propagate premier cow families across multiple generations, producing what the operation markets as "proven and predictable" genetics. Champion outputs include SULL Primetime (2008 National Champion Bull), SULL Stockman 0233 (2010 National Champion Bull), SULL Traveler (2011 Grand Champion at NAILE, American Royal, and NWSS), SULL Red Knight 2030, and numerous ShorthornPlus and crossbred champions documented at NAILE, NWSS, American Royal, the National Junior Shorthorn Show, and multiple state fairs.

The business model is event-driven, direct-to-consumer cattle sales priced per head at auction, with championship show animals selling in the $2,500-$6,000 range and production sales offering 100+ lots per event across multiple breeds. Revenue is supplemented by semen and embryo syndication with co-owning breeders (Cannondale Farms, Greenhorn Cattle Co., Rockin G Land and Cattle, Terry Stade Farms, Goddard & Seick, among others). The customer base is nationwide seedstock buyers plus junior show program families (4-H, FFA, breed junior shows), supported by a website (maternallegends.com), Facebook, and YouTube marketing channels and an explicit customer satisfaction guarantee on sight-unseen purchases.

Name

Sullivan Farms

Legal name

Sullivan Farms

Website

https://maternallegends.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sullivan Farms is a family-owned cattle seedstock operation in Dunlap, Iowa, producing Shorthorn, ShorthornPlus, and black crossbred cattle via a multi-generational embryo transfer program, sold through on-farm and online production sales to nationwide seedstock buyers and junior show families.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Dunlap

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Cattle Sales: Revenue from selling Shorthorn, ShorthornPlus, and crossbred cattle including bulls, females, embryos, and semen. Two major annual production sales plus online auctions throughout the year.
2. Production Sales: Annual Maternal Legends Sale featuring 185+ lots including open heifers, bred heifers, cows, and embryos across multiple breeds

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sullivan Farms is a family-owned seedstock cattle operation in Dunlap, Iowa, raising and selling Shorthorn, ShorthornPlus, and black crossbred cattle — including bulls, females, embryos, and semen — for breeding and show programs. The farm distributes its cattle through two annual production sales (the on-farm Maternal Legends Sale in October and the online No Bull Sale via cwcattlesales.com) plus additional online auctions throughout the year, reaching seedstock buyers and junior show customers nationwide.

Product overview

Sullivan Farms operates as a family-owned cattle seedstock operation in Dunlap, Iowa, specializing in Shorthorn, ShorthornPlus, and black crossbred cattle breeding. The product portfolio centers on champion-quality breeding stock including Shorthorn females and bulls, ShorthornPlus cattle, and club calf crossbred cattle. The farm conducts two annual production sales—the Maternal Legends Sale (in-person, October) and the No Bull Sale (online via cwcattlesales.com)—featuring large volumes of diverse genetics at various price points. Champion lines include national champions like SULL Primetime (2008 National Champion Bull), SULL Stockman (2010 National Champion Bull), and numerous Shorthorn and ShorthornPlus show heifers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Maternal Legends Sale: Annual production sale event featuring Shorthorn and ShorthornPlus cattle held in October at the farm in Dunlap, Iowa.
• Sullivan Farms No Bull Sale

Products and services

• Shorthorn Cattle Purebred Shorthorn breeding stock including bulls and females, known for sound functional genetics and championship show quality. Sold to seedstock buyers and show programs through Sullivan Farms' annual production sales and online auctions.
• ShorthornPlus Cattle Shorthorn crossbred cattle combining Shorthorn genetics with other breeds for enhanced commercial and show performance. Sold through Sullivan Farms' production sales and online auctions to seedstock buyers and show customers.
• Black Crossbred Cattle Black crossbred club calf cattle bred for show ring success and commercial marketability. Sold to junior show customers and commercial buyers through Sullivan Farms' sales.
• Shorthorn Bulls Diversified Shorthorn bull offerings serving as herd bulls and AI sire selections, appreciated from all segments of the beef industry. Sold through Sullivan Farms' annual production sales.
• Crossbred Bulls SULL club calf bulls known for siring highly marketable cattle with genetic power to win in the showring, featuring black crossbred bulls with power, style, and muscle. Sold to commercial and club calf producers.
• Shorthorn Champion Show Cattle Championship-winning Shorthorn show cattle at all levels, including national champions, sold sight unseen with a customer satisfaction guarantee to junior show customers and breeders.
• Crossbred Champion Show Cattle Crossbred champion show cattle sold to assist junior customers in show programs, including champions at state fairs, NAILE, American Royal, and other national shows.
• Semen and Embryos Genetic material from champion bulls and donor cows, including semen sold through syndicate arrangements and embryos sold through production sales, extending the reach of Sullivan Farms genetics to buyers nationwide.
• Maternal Legends Sale Annual flagship on-farm production sale held each October at the Sullivan Farms headquarters in Dunlap, Iowa, offering a large and diverse lineup of Shorthorn, ShorthornPlus, and crossbred cattle, plus embryos. Open to in-person and online buyers as a single annual event.
• No Bull Sale Online production sale conducted via cwcattlesales.com featuring Shorthorn, ShorthornPlus, and crossbred cattle offerings. Held in addition to several other online sales throughout the year to extend the reach of Sullivan Farms genetics nationwide.

Quantifiable outcome

• Championship success at all major shows including NAILE, NWSS, American Royal, National Junior Shorthorn Show, Iowa State Fair
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cannondale FarmscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-ownership of SULL Primetime bull (2008 National Champion Bull) with Cannondale Farms and Primetime Syndicate. Joint ownership of SULL Blue ET with Goddard & Seick. Co-ownership of SULL Stockman 0233 with Fred Ripberger, Ed Meyer & Family, Bollum Family Shorthorns, Norman Farms and Cannondale Farms.
• Terry Stade Farms Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-ownership of SULL Traveler 9807 ET (Grand Champion Bull at 2011 NAILE, American Royal and NWSS). Also co-ownership of SULL Stockman 0233 and joint ownership of SULL Traveler with Terry Stade Farms Inc.
• Rockin G Land and CattlecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint ownership of multiple champion bulls including SULL Red Stallion 1335, SULL Red Reward 9321 (Red Reward Syndicate), SULL Blue ET, and SULL Primetime semen shareholders.
• Greenhorn Cattle Co.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-ownership of SULL Red Stallion 1335, SULL Red Reward 9321 (Red Reward Syndicate), SULL GNCC Eldorado ET, DFS Margie 6109, and SULL Sables Solution. Multiple champion animals co-owned.
• Ed Meyer & FamilycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-ownership of SULL Stockman 0233 ET (2010 National Champion Bull) along with Fred Ripberger, Bollum Family Shorthorns, Norman Farms and Cannondale Farms.
• Fred RipbergercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-ownership of SULL Stockman 0233 ET (2010 National Champion Bull) and SULL Demand Soundness bull with Montana Foster and Alan Meyer.
• Goddard & SeickcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint ownership of SULL Blue ET (2008 National Champion ShorthornPlus Bull, 2009 NWSS Grand Champion Bull).
• Ripberger FarmsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-owned SULL Stockman 0233 ET as part of multiple party syndicate.
• Bollum Family ShorthornsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-owned SULL Stockman 0233 ET as part of multiple party syndicate.
• Norman FarmsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-owned SULL Stockman 0233 ET as part of multiple party syndicate.
• Kearns FarmsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSemen shareholder of SULL GNCC Eldorado ET.
• Curtis Castle / Iron Lake Ranch / Colyer HerefordsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-ownership of C Miles McKee (Supreme Champion Hereford – 2014 NWSS) with Curtis Castle, Iron Lake Ranch, Colyer Herefords and Sullivan Farms.
• Tucker Cattle CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-ownership of ECR Who Maker 210 (Grand Champion Polled Hereford Bull – 2014 NWSS) with Bushy Park, Fawcett Family, Beck/Long Herefords and Tucker Cattle Company.
• Teague Family / Teets FarmsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-ownership of SULL Roan Blast 0301 (Horned bull) with Teague Family, Teets Farms, and Sullivan Ranch.
• V8 ShorthornsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSemen shareholder of SULL GNCC Grey Goose and co-ownership of Miss V8 Mollie Jo 93S2.
• Cyclone Trace / Cyclone Trace Cattle Co.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-ownership of SULL Cyclone 8242 ET and SULL Red In Focus (lead bull in Champion Pen of Three at 2011 NWSS) with Cyclone Trace Cattle Co.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Express Ranches: One of the largest U.S. seedstock operations running Angus and multi-breed sales; competes for the same nationwide seedstock buyer pool and junior show segment though at much larger scale.
• Gardiner Angus Ranch: Established performance-driven Angus seedstock operation selling bulls and females nationwide; benchmark for production-sale distribution model Sullivan Farms uses at smaller scale.
• 44 Farms: Large, well-capitalized Angus seedstock and bull-power operation with branded production sales and direct-to-customer distribution; competes for elite seedstock and show/performance buyers at scale.
• Sydenstricker Genetics: Large Missouri-based multi-breed seedstock operation (Angus, Hereford, Red Angus) with annual sales and online bidding; competes for the same commercial and purebred bull buyer segment Sullivan targets with ShorthornPlus and crossbred offerings.

Direct peers

• Greenhorn Cattle Co. Co-owner of multiple Sullivan champion animals and an active Shorthorn and crossbred seedstock operation with overlapping genetics, sales cadence, and junior show customer base.
• Byland Polled Shorthorns: Long-established Shorthorn seedstock breeder with similar multi-generational breeding philosophy, offering bulls, females, and show cattle to nationwide buyers through production sales.
• Colyer Herefords: Major Hereford seedstock program that co-owns the Supreme Champion Hereford with Sullivan Farms; comparable national show-ring champion model, multi-breed presence, and production-sale distribution approach.
• Cannondale Farms: Shorthorn seedstock operation that co-owns SULL Primetime with Sullivan Farms; comparable in scale, focus on championship genetics, and annual production sale model.
• V8 Shorthorns: Major Shorthorn seedstock operation also breeding show and performance Shorthorns; Sullivan Farms already co-owns animals with V8, indicating direct overlap in genetics, customer base, and Shorthorn champion show-ring competition.
• Cagwin Cattle Services: Provides online sale platform cwcattlesales.com that Sullivan Farms uses for its No Bull Sale, and runs its own production sales of show and club calf cattle, making it both an enabler and a direct competitor in the seedstock market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SullivanShorthorn
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Xx.com/maternallegends
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sullivan-farms

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Sullivan Farms