Deep in the rolling hills of Fayette, Missouri, is a family-run farm known for their regenerative farming practices. Sullivan Farms is going back to basics using standard operations to bring high-quality local meat back to Missouri tables. Unlike other farming methods, husband-and-wife team Bill and Brittany Sullivan choose to raise their pigs the traditional way, on fresh land outdoors with an organic diet consisting of non-GMO feed. They never use antibiotics, growth hormones, confinement barns or shortcuts.
Before taking the plunge into raising pigs, chickens and goats, the Sullivan’s farm was merely a vegetable garden selling produce at the Columbia farmer’s market. As most farmers tend to do, once you begin raising one type of animal, you tend to acquire more. The Sullivan’s eventually found themselves interested in the market of raising pigs, sparking a new business venture and new farm adventure. They learned how to expand their business without compromising quality or ethics.
“We were just really fortunate at that time. The Columbia farmer’s market really needed a pork producer, and we came into that role, and our customers have kind of grown with us over the years, so it’s been really great,” Brittany Sullivan said.
Brittany noted that when you live on a farm, you live where you work. The daily tasks of a farmer are the same everyday but different at the same time. On top of daily feeding and chores, the business still needs to be successful to keep the farm open and running.
“Like any business owner, you get stuck in the day to day, because you have so much to do for your business, and you have so much to do on your farm. But if we’re not selling a product at the end of the day, then we’re not going to be in business,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan Farms sells to a variety of restaurants in the St. Louis and Columbia area, including Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria, Expat BBQ, and Barred Owl Butcher and Table to name a few. In addition to selling to local restaurants, they also sell half and whole hog pigs to families who freeze the meat to use throughout the year. Additionally, they offer a monthly subscription box that contains 10 to 12 pounds of meat that can be picked up at the Columbia farmer’s market.
For Sullivan, everything begins to feel full circle when they get to see how local restaurants appreciate and incorporate their products into their dishes to share with the larger community. “We get to meet so many different people and we get to put fresh food on their table, so they know the story behind their food, and where that’s coming from, because it’s so important,” Sullivan said.
The Sullivans’ goal is to give their pigs the best possible quality of life is clear in their techniques. They believe their approach to raising pigs and the quality of their products sets them apart from other farms.
“We’re a regenerative farm and so giving more to the land than what we are taking away is something that’s always kind of been at the heart of what we do here, and providing high quality meats for customers across Missouri is just something special,” she said. “Forming those relationships with people in your community, so people know that their food has a story.”