Mead Farms in Missouri: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Mead Farms is a third-generation cattle breeding operation in Versailles, Missouri, that has been in business since 1942. It runs a Pathfinder herd of Angus, Charolais, Red Angus and Hereford cattle and holds a bull sale that offers roughly 600 to 700 bulls.
| Location | Versailles, Missouri |
|---|---|
| Founded | In business since 1942 |
| Sectors | Angus (about 80 percent of the herd), Charolais, Red Angus and Hereford seedstock |
| Scale | Annual sale of roughly 600 to 700 bulls; total herd size not published in sources used |
| Why it is elite | Recognized Pathfinder herd; long-running annual sales and about 80 percent repeat buyers |
| Ownership | Third-generation family operation led by Alan Mead |
| Official website | American Cattlemen podcast page about Mead Farms |
History of Mead Farms
American Cattlemen describes Mead Farms as a third-generation cattle breeding operation in business since 1942, led today by Alan Mead. A fall sale catalog calls its sale the 83rd annual fall production sale and describes the herd as one of the leading Pathfinder herds in the nation.
The operation raises four breeds. Angus makes up about 80 percent of the herd, alongside Charolais, Red Angus and Hereford. The family has built its reputation on sound, functional bulls aimed at commercial producers.
What Mead Farms Grows and Raises
Mead Farms focuses on fertility, longevity and practical traits. The program uses genomic testing, parentage verification and screening for genetic defects, and measures bulls at birth, weaning and yearling, with scrotal and ultrasound assessments.
Sale catalogs include genomic-enhanced EPDs, DNA information and bull videos, and bulls are grouped by sire to help buyers choose. The sale is a live auction with online bidding through DVAuction, and Alan Mead offers satisfaction guarantees, including on sight-unseen purchases.
How Mead Farms Makes Money
Annual bull sales
The main revenue stream is its annual sale of roughly 600 to 700 bulls. The program also holds spring and fall bull and female sales, with a fall sale on October 25, 2025 and a spring sale on May 9, 2026.
Female sales
Fall and spring catalogs list bulls and females, including fall pairs in the 2025 fall offering, adding cow-herd genetics to the sales mix.
Repeat commercial customers
About 80 percent of buyers return, based on American Cattlemen's podcast summary. Satisfaction guarantees support that retention.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Mead Farms
First lesson: sell on usable information. Genomic testing, defect screening, performance measurements and videos reduce buyer risk, especially for remote bidders.
Second lesson: back the product. Guarantees on sight-unseen purchases show confidence and bring repeat buyers. Third, offer scale and choice: offering hundreds of bulls grouped by sire makes the sale a one-stop shop.
Moving 600 to 700 bulls through a sale ring takes a patient auctioneer and an even more patient family, and the part where buyers bid on video is surely a step up from waving at a bull across the pasture. For readers who enjoy farm satire, farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes, farm.FM is the place to go, and a four-breed herd in Versailles gives it plenty of colors to work with. The Herefords will want the red-and-white credit.
If the name is new to you, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site, with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers on the side. One of its regular writers keeps a whole archive of stories like that.
How to Contact Mead Farms
No official website was found for this operation, so the link above is the best verified public page about it. Confirm any visit or purchase with the operation directly.
Mead Farms Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- American Cattlemen: Mead Farms podcast - Podcast page on the Mead Farms bull sale
- Mead Farms fall sale catalog - Catalog for the 83rd annual fall sale
- Creatures.com Mead Farms listing - Breeder directory listing
- USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture: Missouri - Missouri farm counts, acreage, sales and operator data
- USDA FSA Missouri State Office - Farm loans, conservation and disaster programs in Missouri
Mead Farms FAQ
Where is Mead Farms?
It is in Versailles, Missouri.
What does Mead Farms raise?
Seedstock cattle in four breeds: Angus, Charolais, Red Angus and Hereford.
How long has it operated?
Since 1942, and it is a third-generation operation.
How large is its sale?
The annual sale offers roughly 600 to 700 bulls.
Mead Farms shows how a third-generation Missouri family can combine genetics, data and service in a large seedstock program. For the broader state picture, see the Missouri farms guide on this site.