Their dream of owning a farm began when Jim and Gretchen were in school at Auburn University. The countryside around Auburn is filled with lush rolling green pastures and is dotted with cattle farms. In 2001 the dream that began while driving country roads around Auburn became a reality when Gretchen and Jim found an ad in the classified section of the newspaper for a 30 acre farm in Irvington, Alabama.

The current Circle G herd began with six cow calf pairs from the JLS International ranch in Robertsdale, Alabama. JLS is known for producing quality Brangus cattle and has won more Bull of the Year and Heifer of the Year titles than any other Brangus producer in recent history.