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I was born loving livestock.
The only toys I ever remember playing with were farm toys. My dad had bought part of his family farm and had commercial cows; sheep and he even let me have a goat. In 1948, at the age of 24 Dad was stricken with polio. He struggled to keep the farm with my mom and one hired hand doing the work. 1953 was a sad year for me, as Dad sold the farm, the cattle, the sheep and his machinery in a one-day auction. 
My family moved to Salem, Virginia so Dad could go back to college. It was God's will that our property
joined Mt. Regis Angus Farm. Carroll Grove, the herdsman so graciously took me under his wing and in 1956, he selected a bred heifer for me that my
parents helped me buy. Her first calf, a heifer, was named Grand Champion at the 1957 Virginia State Junior Show.
It was during my high school years that I worked for
Mt. Regis Farm. This provided me the opportunity to show with many well-known Angus breeders and I met my future wife, Nina Huffman at a 4-H livestock
show. College days included Meats Judging Team, Livestock Judging Team and Student Herdsman.
In June of 1969 my life changed dramatically! I graduated from Virginia
Polytechnic Institute with a major in Animal Science, Nina and I married, and I became herdsman at Millarden Farms in Woodbury, Georgia. Our pre-nuptial
agreement: Nina would come to Georgia if we would start saving to have a place of our own.
Millarden Farms was a great learning experience for us. We met many nice
people who encouraged us, and I saw that you could run more cattle with less equipment and help in Georgia than you could in Virginia.
Lemmon Cattle Enterprises was born in 1971 with the purchase of 113 cows, and leased
pasture. The farm has grown to be a 600-800 head Angus seedstock operation in central Georgia about 50 miles from the Alabama line in the midge of what used to be peach and
cotton country.
My formula for success is not just a theory. "I stick my neck out, take a chance and do
everything I know how to make the end result a success." Through our beliefs and perseverance, we at Lemmon Cattle have proven that a small family farm can be
self-sufficient. The dividends it continues to pay are countless, but among them is pride. "I don't know exactly how to put this, but I figure the fella' upstairs has
looked after my farm more than I have. There are three things in my life that are important, my family, my church and my cows. Whichever needs help at the
time is the one who gets my attention."
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