Commercial Marketing Producer of the Year – Wulf/Riverview Farms LLC.

The Wulf and Riverview Farms LLC. were named the NALF Commercial Marketing Producers of the Year at the 2025 Ken Holloway Genetics on Ice Benefit Auction in Oklahoma City.

Wulf Cattle has been a leader in the beef industry for over 50 years. Founded by Leonard and Violet Wulf, the operation became synonymous with the Limousin breed. Under Leonard’s vision, Wulf Cattle gained a reputation for balancing cattle feeding and breeding, emphasizing efficiency, red meat yield, and carcass quality. Today, the Wulf legacy continues under the leadership of Jerry Wulf in tandem with the seedstock cattle manager, Casey Fanta who has expanded the operation’s focus through bold partnerships and strategic innovation.

In 2012, Wulf Cattle partnered with Riverview LLP, one of the largest dairy operations in the United States located in Minnesota and South Dakota, to create a groundbreaking program that integrates Limousin genetics into dairy operations. The partnership, spearheaded by Jerry and Riverview CEO Gary Fehr, capitalized on sexed semen technology and strategic breeding to enhance the value of dairy bull calves, particularly from Jersey herds. By crossbreeding Limousin bulls with Jersey cows, the partnership aimed to address market challenges while adding value to both industries.

Limousin genetics were chosen for their calving ease, reproductive excellence, superior muscling, and feed efficiency, traits that made them ideal for crossing with dairy breeds. Trials began in 2010, showing exceptional results: 98.8% unassisted calving and average birth weights of 79.5 lbs. Feed trials confirmed that Limousin-crossed Jersey steers performed competitively, yielding high-quality carcasses with excellent feed conversion and growth rates. The program, branded as “Beef Builders,” has since become a model for blending beef and dairy production.

Wulf Cattle expanded the initiative through its Breeding to Feeding program in partnership with Genex Cooperative. This program markets Wulf-bred Limousin and Lim-Flex bulls to dairies, allowing producers to breed their best females with sexed semen for replacements and use beef semen for terminal crosses. The result is a more profitable and efficient system, with Wulf Cattle managing the calves from purchase to feedlot, ensuring consistent quality and market demand.

Collectively, the Wulf Cattle team’s innovative leadership exemplifies how collaboration and strategic breeding can transform industry challenges into opportunities. Their efforts have strengthened the reputation of Limousin Genetics and provided a pathway for the dairy industry to generate additional income through value-added calves.

Casey Fanta accepted this well-deserved honor on behalf of the Wulf Cattle & Riverview team and noted that the “Wulf” brand stands as a testament to the power of forward-thinking solutions in agriculture.

Congratulations to the 2024 Commercial Marketing Producer of the Year, Wulf/Riverview Farms LLC., of Morris, Minn.