The Ergle Family’s Beef Beginnings
In 1966, Milton Ergle borrowed enough money to purchase a run-down 51.5 acre poultry and cattle farm near Russellville, Alabama. Sherman Ergle, Milton’s Father, built a 48’ X 48’ barn and broke, disked, and planted all the pastures in Kentucky 31 Tall Fescue and helped prepare his 20-year old Son to start a cattle business.
In 1969, Milton again borrowed money and purchased 13 head of purebred Jersey calves from a dairy operation in Spruce Pine, Alabama. Milton raised those Jersey calves from birth to breeding age, then sold the calves back to the dairy operation as bred heifers. He then invested his earnings in commercial beef cattle. He continued improving and building his commercial cow-calf operation over the next several years.
In 1981, while learning the family cattle business, 14 year-old Keith Ergle purchased his first registered cow. At the age of 17, and still in high school, Keith borrowed money and purchased an adjoining farm to put his own “skin in the game”. Over the years, Keith added cows to the family operation and continued to help with the family farm while earning degrees from the University of Alabama and the University of Florida and working “in town” for several years.
Beef in The Tidwell Family
In 2013, after several years of work “in town,” cousins Keith Ergle and Robbie Tidwell joined forces in an Angus seedstock operation and Premier Angus Genetics was born. They each have taken over management of their family’s respective commercial cattle operations, but still work closely with and continue to learn from their Dads.
Their commercial cattle operations provide them with valuable recipient cows for their embryo transplant program. Keith and Robbie use their years of experience in the cattle industry, along with technology and data management tools to produce Angus cattle that are making unquestionable contributions to the beef cattle industry. They pay close attention to maternal traits, udder quality, fertility and fleshing ability in the cattle they produce for customers. They also place high demands on performance while mating proven, high accuracy sires to daughters of high accuracy sires. This allows their disciplined program to produce quality Angus genetics with bred-in performance, predictability and longevity. They remain optimistic about the beef industry and their role as Angus seedstock breeders.
