Welcome to Hertlein Cattle Co. Kurt and Sharon Hertlein are a second-generation cattle and farming family. The family’s cattle operations are headquartered in the Central Valley
of California, outside of the small, rural town of Farmington. A second ranch located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas provides the summer pasture for the herd.
Kurt and Sharon met while attending University of California, Davis. After graduating in 1975, with bachelors’ degrees in animal science, they took over the daily operation of Kurt’s family’s registered Hereford herd. In 1980 they purchased the herd from Kurt’s father and uncle.
They raised three amazing children and brought them up to be entirely involved in the ranch’s operations, not only with the cattle, but also with extensive walnut orchards. They actively encouraged their children
to be well rounded, involved in and understanding agriculture through involvement in 4-H, FFA and Junior Hereford Association, as well as participation in sports and church.
In 2000, with their kids all off to college, they decided to disperse the herd and focus exclusively on development of their walnut orchards. As time passed though they found they missed the cattle and the friends they had made in the livestock industry.
In 2014, deciding to return to their love of cattle, Kurt and Sharon purchased a small group of crossbred Angus heifers from Kurt’s father. In 2016, after looking at the latest technology and genomic mapping being done by Angus breeders, they joined the American Angus Association. The following October, they purchased their first registered Angus cows from Vintage Angus Ranch in Modesto, CA. They have continued to grow their herd with additional purchases from Vintage, as well as retaining the top percentage of their replacement heifers for breeding. They placed their crossbred cows into a well strategized and sustainable recip program.