~Family ~ Tradition and Love for Livestock

Raising and showing livestock has been in our family for many years. It’s pretty easy to say it is a Sullivan tradition that has been handed down for generations. We thought it would be best if we explained a little bit of family history.

Our, great, great grandparents Daniel & Margaret Sullivan came to the United States from Ireland in 1852. They farmed and raised livestock in Eastern Iowa. In 1879, our great grandfather, Michael J. was just 17 when he moved to Dunlap, Iowa where he worked on the railroad in his younger years and later farmed and raised cattle. Our grandfather, Leo Patrick Sullivan was the one who was instrumental in starting the long lasting tradition of the Sullivan Family’s involvement in the 4-H Club and showing livestock. In the early 1940’s he and two other gentlemen started a 4-H club in Dunlap. It was named the Boyer Rooters, where our father Leo Paul and two of his brothers were charter members. In fact in 1945 our father, Leo Paul, showed the Grand Champion steer at the Crawford County Fair. This is in the same county, in the same 4-H club that my dad, uncles, aunts, brothers, sister, nieces, nephews and many cousins still show today. Actually, we are not far off from a four year generation of Sullivan’s showing in the Boyer Rooter 4-H club.

If you’re Irish Catholic, then big families are common and ours is no different. I grew up with 64 first cousins just on the Sullivan side, with seven boys and one girl our family contributed eight. Many of the 64 cousins still live on farms and their kids are now showing cattle (another chapter in itself). The root of this Sullivan family lies in Dunlap, Iowa where we grew up on our family farm and raised registered Simmental cattle.

In 1991, I graduated from Iowa State University with a major in Marketing and a minor in Journalism/Advertisement. One year later I moved to Texas and started Sullivan Supply South with my brother John.

It’s hard to say when Sullivan Ranch actually started. I never stop raising my own cattle throughout 4-H and college. When I moved to Texas I brought a few of my own cows along. One was DSUL Freckles 23C (the foundation dam of the Too Sweet cow family), this ½ blood Limousin is a daughter of one of my old show heifers and is the grand dam to our 2000 Denver Champion Female. At 20 years old this female is still in production at Sullivan Ranch where she just flushed 12 good eggs and bred right back. Like the Sullivan family, longevity and good genetics is the key to our success.

Today Sullivan Ranch is the leader in the club calf industry and known for our many consistent cow families like 602G Chill, Sullivan 6651, Sadie 634F, Hoo Doo Lizzy 2069, the Too Sweet Family and Miss Summit 145E. We have the best purebred Hereford, Limousin, Charolais and Maine cow families in the country with the hottest Chi Smokies and the best Meyer 734 daughters that walk. We spared no expense on quality when it comes to our cow families. Like our logo says “DSUL Power in the Blood” Our cows do make a difference!

A few years ago at a Sullivan Thanksgiving we were all around the table talking about cattle and Mom said laughingly, “Can we have just one meal where we don’t talk about cattle?” I think this explains the Sullivan family’s 60 year love for raising and showing livestock.

This Sullivan family has put on many miles traveling to livestock show and cattle sales since 1945 and there is nothing we love more! We have had the opportunity to meet so many neat people from all over the country. We have formed friendships and bonds that will be dear to us for the rest of our lives. After all the best people in the world are those who raise livestock - just like you!!!