Growing up fourth generation in a long line of East Texas dairymen taught Ernest Bailes IV from an early age the value of a hard day’s work.

As his college buddies took off to weekend adventures untold, he headed home to help his dad and granddad with twice-a-day milking, trucking operations and a beef cattle herd in San Jacinto County.

"That’s not what every college kid wants to do on the weekends," Ernest admits.

But he did, with gusto.

That he would someday go on to fill his namesakes’ shoes in running the family farming operations was a given.

That one of his first moves in coming back to the farm was to shutter the dairy operation, however, was something almost no one would have predicted. But, his granddad, Ernest Jr., began to take ill, and labor shortages at the dairy—combined with the need to upgrade aging facilities—prompted his decision to close the dairy for good.

They replaced their dairy stock with more beef cattle—he runs more than 200-head of commercial cattle and registered Angus stock today—while at the same time purchasing a nearby tract of primarily timber acreage.

Then, Ernest launched into an all-new enterprise. Having hands-on experience in dealing with cattle genetics and embryo transfers through the dairy and college work, Ernest began his own reproductive technologies company, Repro Select, in 2005.

He replaced the old milking barn with a state-of-the-art lab and cold storage facility, and he went to work. From a base of less than 100 customers that first year, Repro Select has grown to include nearly 1,000 clients all over the world—many of them top rodeo stock breeders—and today caters to both standard livestock genetics as well as wildlife.

"You have to love what you do and this ranch was something I always wanted to come back and do," he says. "By doing the reproduction side, it has helped build our own cattle operation. It has afforded me more opportunities to be here at home with my family. This is a lifestyle where the whole family can be actively involved, and there’s not many occupations that afford that luxury."

Wife Courtney, a third grade school teacher, says she couldn’t be prouder of what Ernest has accomplished.

"Ernest could do anything else, but could I picture him working, going to that job and sitting behind a desk and having a boss? No," she says."

"He’s living his dream," she adds. "I am so proud of him. It’s not every 27-year-old’s husband who has his own business and own operations. This has been his dream, to be proud of something that he’s developed. This is him and this is us. And we’re pretty happy to be that way."

Ernest examines a specimen at his lab in Shepherd.

Ernest and his dad, E.J., vaccinate a calf.

Ernest’s wife Courtney and sons Rigby and "Cinco" riding the four-wheeler.

Ernest works cows on horseback.