Leading Ladies of Ag: Stacy Bennett
June 2016
With a degree in criminal justice, Stacy Bennett was sitting at her desk job when she turned 30 years old.
“I thought to myself, what can I do every day that would make me happy?” Bennett said. “The first thing that came across my mind was being on the farm with my dad.”
For the past three years Bennett has been home doing just that on her family’s Hereford operation in Benton, Wisconsin. Stacy and her father, Kevin, calve 400 head of momma cows in the spring — 150 of which are registered with the American Hereford Association.
Since Bennett moved home, the operation has started to incorporate more artificial insemination (A.I.) into
their program.
“Usually one of our semen vendor representatives and myself A.I. all of our heifers,” Bennett said.
The Bennetts work hard to grow their own feedstuffs to support their cattle operation.
“We put up enough corn to feed our own cows and generally don’t sell a whole lot.” Bennett said. “We also put up about 200 acres of hay, two cuttings usually, three on a good year.”
Stacy and Kevin use a self-propelled mower to cut the hay and then follow it with a tedder. After raking with their Vermeer twin basket rake, they take turns baling with their new Vermeer 605N baler.
“Last year was our first year with the 605N baler,” Bennett said. “That thing can eat hay like it’s going out of style. We also rely heavily on the moisture sensor option in the baler, that way we know if we need to wet wrap it or not.”
Besides having a criminal justice degree and running a 400-cow operation, Bennett also spends time as a wedding photographer. But at the end of the day, her time spent on the farm makes her the happiest.
“I grew up showing cattle in junior shows while I was in high school,” Bennett said. “I was in 4-H from the start and also joined FFA. When I was young I used to go out and open gates for dad when he fed cattle. Our family bonding time happened when we were out on the farm.”
“I just wish everyone could spend a day on the farm, at least to see where their groceries come from,” she said. ”We try and work our hardest to help feed the world.”
