We caught up with the breeder of the Reserve Grand Champion Market Lamb at the 2025 Fort Worth Stock Show. We invite you to read our candid interview with Benson Livestock below and please continue to check back often for our next edition of “Breeder Spotlight.”
What’s the pedigree of your champion?
Peace Pipe x Silver Fox
Who helped you get started raising sheep?
My family raised registered Hampshire breeding sheep throughout my childhood. My parents, Kent and Melody Benson, deserve the credit for developing my passion for raising livestock. While I was attending Texas A&M my friend, Josh Cody, allowed me to keep a few ewes at his place and we enjoyed raising them together. Another significant mentor has been Darick Chabot. Most of my flock genetics, the philosophy we approach the business with and production knowledge I have can be attributed to Darick.
If you could go back and restart your herd, what is one thing you would have put more emphasis on?
Genetic alignment of my ewe flock. There for a while I had a melting pot of ewes I had bought from several different programs. Having too many genetic pools made it challenging to have consistency in my lamb crops.
What is a challenge you have faced as a breeder, and how did you overcome it?
I have strong convictions on the kind of sheep we value and at times my convictions don’t align with the current state of the industry. The challenge comes with staying committed to our beliefs while also being open minded enough to evolve with modern trends.
Interesting fact about your champion?
I’m especially proud that in addition to raising the Reserve at Fort Worth we also raised that sheep’s sire, Peace Pipe.
What pedigree do you feel like has been the most intriguing?
I really like what we have going with our own stud bucks like Say When & Peace Pipe crossed back on the group purchases we have made from Beatty and Begalka.
What is your goal show to win as a breeder?
Tanna, Brody, Braxton and I do this as a family and our goal is for our boys to win any of the Texas Majors with one we raise.
What is your favorite TX Major?
Fort Worth & Houston
