How American Cattle Union works
The plain-spoken guide: what the platform is, how to use it as a buyer or a seller, what it does for your operation, and what it costs.
5-minute read
Buyer accounts are always free.
What it is
A direct marketplace — plus the tools to run the operation around it.
Sale-barn sites weren't built for registered animals. ACU treats your bulls and heifers like the genetic decisions they are — pedigree, registration, and EPDs front and center — and surrounds the sale with the tools cattle people actually use.
You buy and sell bulls, semen, embryos, and replacement heifers direct from verified U.S. producers, searchable by breed, state, EPD windows, and registration number. Sellers submit documentation before they can list, contact details stay private until you share them, and every closed sale generates a bill of sale.
Around the marketplace sits the rest of the operation: herd records, breeding agreements, market prices, land for lease, a hauler directory, and producer communities — one account for all of it.
How to use it
Two sides of the same handshake.
For buyers
Always freeYou can browse without an account — you'll just need one to message a seller or make an offer.
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1
Create a free account
Sign up in a minute. Buyers never pay a fee and never see a commission.
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2
Search and compare
Filter by breed, state, price, and EPD windows, or search a registration number directly. Compare animals side by side.
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3
Message privately
Reach the producer through in-app messaging. Your phone number stays private until you choose to share it.
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4
Close with confidence
Agree terms, inspect at pickup, and settle by cashier's check or wire on delivery — with a bill of sale on the deal.
For sellers
First listing freeYour first listing is free with Seller Lite. ACU never takes a percentage of your sale.
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1
Sign up and get verified
Submit a USDA Farm ID, brand registration, or breed-association membership. Verified producers earn a badge buyers can see.
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2
List your animals
Post bulls, semen, embryos, and heifers with pedigree, EPDs, photos, and video. Bulk-upload a sale catalog from CSV.
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3
Field real inquiries
Buyers message you in-app. Negotiate price, head count, and pickup in one threaded conversation with a paper trail.
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4
Close direct
Agree terms and close privately. The platform generates a bill of sale automatically to document the transfer.
What it does for your operation
Built to move cattle and protect margin.
Whether you run commercial cow-calf or sell registered seedstock, the platform is built to put your animals in front of the right buyers and keep the money in your pocket.
Buyers who can drive to you
Roughly nine in ten bulls sell within a hundred miles of the operation that raised them. Your listing reaches the buyers actually in range — not just whoever shows up at the sale barn on Tuesday.
Keep your full margin
No commission, no buyer's premium, no per-head fee. Sell a $5,000 bull or a load of heifers — the percentage taken at the gate is zero either way.
Fewer tire-kickers
Registration-number search and EPD filters bring buyers who already know what they want, so you field high-intent inquiries instead of browsers.
Lower your scam risk
Sellers verify their operation with real documentation and carry a Verified badge when they have, contact stays private until you share it, and conversations live in the platform — a record if anything goes sideways.
Clean records, automatically
A bill of sale on every closed deal and a documented message history, so your paperwork is done before you leave the pen.
One account for the whole operation
Herd management, breeding agreements, market prices, land for lease, haulers, and producer communities — all under the same login.
What it costs
Flat and simple. No commission, ever.
Buyers are always free. Sellers keep their full sale price — you pay a flat fee, never a percentage.
Buyer
Free
Always free
Browse, search, message verified sellers, and make offers. No fee, no commission — for as long as you use it.
Create a free accountSeller Lite
$25 / first sale
7-day money-back
List free. Pay one flat $25 when your first sale closes — never a percentage. Then upgrade to keep selling.
Start selling freeSeller Pro
$49 /mo
Cancel anytime
Unlimited listings, priority placement, bulk CSV upload, listing insights, and a document vault. For commercial-volume sellers.
Get Seller ProSeedstock
$199 /mo
For registered breeders
Everything in Pro, plus the ACU Verified Seedstock badge, top placement, and instant buyer alerts.
Get SeedstockNo commission, ever · No card on file · Nothing to cancel
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
What is American Cattle Union?
American Cattle Union is a verified, direct marketplace for registered seedstock — bulls, semen, embryos, and replacement heifers — plus the everyday tools to run a cattle operation. Producers submit documentation before they can list, buyers and sellers connect privately, and every closed sale is documented with a bill of sale.
How much does American Cattle Union cost?
Buyers pay nothing. Sellers list free on Seller Lite and pay a flat $25 when a sale closes, refundable within 7 days; Seller Pro and Seedstock plans cover unlimited listings for a flat rate. ACU never takes a commission or a percentage of your sale.
How do I sell cattle on American Cattle Union?
Create a free account, submit documentation to get verified, then list your animals with pedigree, EPDs, photos, and video. Buyers message you privately, you agree terms in-app, and the platform generates a bill of sale when the deal closes.
Is American Cattle Union safe?
Every seller submits documentation before they can list, your phone number stays private until you choose to share it, and each sale is recorded with a bill of sale. Buyers and sellers deal directly — inspect at pickup and settle by cashier's check or wire on delivery.
More on verification and fraud prevention at Trust & safety.
Ready to put your cattle
in front of the right buyers?
Browsing is free and needs no login. Create an account when you're ready to message a seller or list your operation — it takes about a minute.
Want the safety details? See Trust & safety.