Age: 15
Parents: George and Stacy Benedict, and Jeremiah and Krisha Jech
Hometown: Leach, Okla.
FFA Chapter: Kansas FFA
Advisor: Clayton Williams
What is your favorite aspect of agriculture?
“I like showing livestock the best because I can see the results of my hard work. I get to show two types of livestock: sheep and cattle. My dad and stepmom raise Hampshire, cross and speckled face sheep, while my mom and stepdad raise show calves: Maintainers and Chia/Maine. I find the sheep are tamer and easier to raise with the lambs loving to be cuddled. The cattle are more time-consuming, so I get to know them better and have more influence on how well they show. I really like the Maintainers because they’re worry free and gentle giants. The Chia/Maines are good, too, because they aren’t crazy.”
Who is the most influential person in your life?
“My mom showed when she was young and got me into showing, which developed a sense of responsibility and self-confidence that helps me daily.”
What is your current involvement in agriculture?
“We recenlty moved from 30 acres to a 90-acre farm with four laying houses so my mom and stepdad can work from home. Besides feeding and watering, my sheep chores fall into a three-day routine with day 1 for exercise, day 2 for washing and conditioning legs and day 3 for treadmill exercise. My cattle chores include feeding and washing twice per day, as well as conditioning for hair growth. The constant attention makes all the animals easier to work with.”
What are your future plans?
“I want to become a registered nurse like my stepmother. She talks about all the people she helps, and she makes a good salary doing something she loves. That sounds just about perfect for me.”
What is most memorable about your competitions?
“What I like best about showing is showing sheep at the county level because that provides good family time. I also like traveling to show my cattle.”
