Donald S. Benson, West Plains

Don Benson has been involved with Ayrshire dairy cattle ever since he was three years old and showed a bull calf at a local fair. From there he showed in 4-H for 10 years, was club president and was New Hampshire state dairy winner and went to the National 4-H Congress in 1961. He also took the New Hampshire Ayrshire herd to the Eastern States Exposition, the largest show in the east.

A native of New Hampshire, Don was born on a third generation dairy farm near Lebanon, N.H., June 22, 1944. The Benson family has been in the Ayrshire business since 1910 when Dan’s grandfather bought registered Ayrshires.

The current Benson Ayrshire herd has one cow family which traces back to a cow Don’s father bought in 1943.

Don started dairying on his own in 1970 in New York and has been in involved with Ayrshire cattle ever since. He was out of the milking side of the Ayrshire business from 1975 to 1979 when he leased his herd and worked as program director and classifier for the National Ayrshire Breeders Association.

In this job, Don covered 24 eastern states and managed Ayrshire sales, promoted the breed, and handled export sales to Saudi Arabia and Puerto Rico. He was also a special order buyer of dairy animals throughout the United States.

He moved his herd to its present location near West Plains in Howell County in 1983. In past years the Benson herd was made up of 90 cows with approximately the same number of young stock. Now, the Benson herd has been reduced in size to around 30 cows, along with 30 to 40 head of young stock due to other business interests.

The current rolling herd average is 16,332 pounds of milk, 617 fat, and 529 protein. The Benson farm of 100 acres is in rotational grazing and all hay and grain is purchased.

Don continued his leadership with the Ayrshire breed in Missouri. He is a past president of the Missouri State Ayrshire Association and has served as director and sale manager. Over the years the Benson family has had numerous winners, including multiple grand champions at the Missouri State Fair and has been name premier breeder and premier exhibitor. Don has been a dairy judge at various shows in Missouri, Arkansas, and Virginia.

The Benson daughters have had two junior All-Americans and the family has sold many breeding animals and 4-H and FFA project cattle which have gone on to win many shows around the country.

Currently, along with the dairy operation, the family has a home-operated business – Global Enterprises –  and are distributors and sales directors for the Conklin Company of Shakopee, Minn., a manufacturer of agriculture-related products.

Don has been a leader in local activities. He has been a director of the Howell County Farm Bureau for 10 years; dairy superintendent of the county fair; president of the Howell County DHIA for six years; and has been on the Mid-America Dairymen board of directors for four years. He also coached an AAU youth basketball team for three years and a Pee Wee League team for two years. He is a member of the Church of the Brethren, Peace Valley and served as chairman of the board three years.

The Benson family was Howell County Farm Family of the Year in 1986.

Don married his wife Constance in 1973 and the couple had three daughters and one son. Daughter Monica Juett lives in Georgetown, Ky.; son Daniel who died in 1990 lived and worked on the home farm and served with the U.S. Army for four years; daughter Shava lives and works in Hopkinsville, Ky., and daughter Shanica, a freshman at McPherson College, helps with the calves on the farm and works in the family business.