Superior Livestock, Inc.

Superior Livestock, Inc., a self-certified small disadvantaged business based in Joice, Iowa, supplies specialized research-grade livestock — primarily Holstein and Hereford calves with defined health and genetic characteristics — to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) as a prime contractor under full-and-open procurement, with 100% of recent awards issued as firm fixed-price purchase orders without set-aside designation.

Superior Livestock operates exclusively as a prime contractor (37 awards, all prime; zero subcontract exposure). The vendor is a for-profit Subchapter S Corporation competing in full-and-open, single-award purchase-order competitions rather than set-aside vehicles, despite carrying self-certified small disadvantaged business status. The company's federal footprint is entirely concentrated within USDA ARS — 32 awards to the ARS Midwest Area and 5 awards to the ARS parent organization — accounting for $997 thousand in combined potential value across the entire award history. No other federal agencies appear in the source.

Superior Livestock's capability portfolio is laser-focused on livestock provision for controlled-environment research. Representative work includes a $46.7 million firm fixed-price purchase order awarded April 1, 2026, for 15 Holstein or Holstein-cross calves meeting strict health criteria (BVD-negative, Mycoplasma bovis negative, colostrum-deprived, approximately 7–8 weeks old, dewormed) and sourced from farms within 100 miles of Ames, Iowa, to support mucosal colonization research at the USDA National Animal Disease Center. Earlier awards show similar specificity: a $84.2 thousand Total Small Business Set-Aside (December 2024) for 52 Holstein or Holstein cross-bred calves in two shipments to support the Animal Resources Unit; a $78.4 thousand firm fixed-price contract (September 2023) for Hereford cross calves used in a BCG-RB51 co-administration immune-response study; and a $50.4 thousand Total Small Business Set-Aside (December 2023) for 40 Holstein calves supporting bovine respiratory syncytial virus research. Each contract specifies precise age, breed, health status, and delivery logistics to Ames or nearby USDA research facilities.

Activity shows two awards in the past five years (one in 2025, one in 2026) after higher baseline from 2022–2024 (4 awards in 2022, 4 in 2023, 8 in 2024). Award potential value historically ranges between $11.8 thousand and $78.4 thousand, with the recent April 2026 order at $46.7 thousand representing an outlier in scale. All awards carry either no set-aside designation or Total Small Business Set-Aside status, reflecting USDA ARS's mixed procurement approach despite the vendor's small disadvantaged business certification.