From goats to glamour
Miniature animals and weddings abound at Daniel Benson's goat farm
Story and photos by Page Haynes
Daniel Benson of Dogwood Meadows in Cumberland County and Kallie Whittenburg, showroom manager at Cumberland Farmers Cooperative in Crossville, inspect some of the Benson family’s newest additions on the farm — miniature donkeys and Zebu cattle.
Daniel and Darlene Benson’s Dogwood Meadows farm started with two small goats for their daughters Caitlyn and Hannah. Since then, hundreds of goats have been raised and shown by the girls and their friends in 4-H programs. And now, Dogwood Meadows is making a name in agribusiness — establishing itself as one of the GOAT (greatest of all time) premier wedding venues on the Cumberland Plateau.
Daniel is quick to say that the farm operations have always revolved around the kids — their girls and now the grandchildren. A convenience store owner of Homestead Market in Crossville, Daniel says he and Darlene bought the 150-acre wooded tract in Cumberland County 30 years ago when he was in his 30s. They cleared some acreage for farmland and left the rest in woodland for hunting. They bought goats, he said, because they were small enough for their girls to handle. Hay equipment, baling, and stocking followed. And the goats started multiplying.
“I just wanted to raise my family on a farm like I was raised,” says Daniel, a longtime customer of Cumberland Farmers Cooperative in Crossville. “I grew up on a beef farm in the Homestead area nearby and remember as a kid going to the Co-op with my dad on Saturdays to get supplies and grind our corn. I wanted our girls to experience the joys of raising livestock and living on a farm, too.”
When Caitlyn and Hannah reached their early teens around 2010, their parents were eager to get them involved in county 4-H goat shows. To be competitive, better Boer bloodlines were sought and bought. Their middle school friends noticed how much fun the sisters were having at the 4-H competitions.
“They enjoyed it, especially when they started bringing their friends to the competitions,” says Daniel with a chuckle. “Before long, we were buying more goats so their friends could show, too. They had no goats, nowhere to keep them, no place to show them.”
By the time Caitlyn and Hannah were showing in high school, Daniel says, they had increased their herd to about 300 goats, and by 2014 he had built a 7,000-square-foot kidding barn and had hired farm employees. About 100 of the Boers were being shown by the girls and 10 to 12 friends. Diverse in age, the 4-H’ers knew each another from church and school. At the end of the season, Daniel says they could all sell one market goat and keep the money, along with the ribbons and prize money they had won. He counts it “a blessing” to be able to provide those opportunities.
The Benson family, from left, Hayden Matthews; Daniel and Darlene; Blakely, Hannah, baby Brynlee, and Jon Matthews; and Caitlyn Benson.
The Benson family are longtime customers of Cumberland Farmers Cooperative and feed their goats Co-op 16% Pelleted All-Purpose Goat Feed with Rumensin (#93458). Daniel says the feed ensures that newborns get enough selenium to help develop their muscles.
“Mom and Dad really came through on all of those show seasons,” added their youngest daughter, Hannah, who’s now 27. “Dad trailered all those goats to the county shows, fed them, and took care of them. He did all the labor. And Mom has been a hairdresser for years. She’s retired now, but she got into the goat-trimming business. She was the groomer for all the show goats.”
Though all the exhibitors aged out of 4-H and the showing has stopped, Daniel and Hannah agree that exhibiting livestock and/or being raised on a farm builds character, discipline, responsibility, and even money management for exhibitors and sellers. Daniel says he has enjoyed providing opportunities for young people to learn those important life skills whether showing or working at their farm or by learning life-changing people skills young employees develop by working for him at the convenience store.
While daughter Caitlyn is currently working in Knoxville, Hannah is staying busy at the farm. She married Jon Matthews, one of her fellow 4-H goat exhibitors who also worked for her dad on the farm. The couple are now building a house and raising their three children — Hayden, 5, Blakely, 3, and Brynlee, 2 — on an adjoining 20-acre plot. Like her father, Hannah is happy that their children can grow up at Dogwood Meadows.
“When you think of what all we’ve learned, I’d say discipline is one of the most important things,” Hannah says. “I can see it now more in my son since he’s been around farm animals. He gets bragged on at school and they chalk it up to him being a ‘farm child.’ And it’s so funny because when I was that age, I didn’t notice it, but my sister and I were learning life skills. Responsibility. My Daddy had us out here shoveling, cleaning, and doing hard work. We earned most of our money to buy our first vehicles.”
Since there are “littles” on the farm again, Daniel and Darlene are happily stocking it full of miniature animals like horses, donkeys, chickens, and cattle. There are motorized tractors to ride and plenty of puppies to pet. And there’s a core group of about 25 registered Boers being kept, readily available for 4-H show season when the three grandchildren are of age.
A “before” photo of the 7,000-square-foot kidding barn that Daniel built for the operation in 2014 full of fencing and goats.
In 2018, the barn was given a complete rebuild and Dogwood Meadows Wedding Venue was established a year later. From left: Darlene Benson, Blakely Matthews, Daniel Benson, and Brynlee and Hannah Matthews are proud to call Dogwood Meadows home.
A throwback photo from a 4-H competition at the Rhea County Fair shows Hannah Benson Matthews holding one of their award-winning Boer goats, along with fellow Dogwood Meadows exhibitors, front row, from left: Brody Lowe, Wyatt Davis, Peyton Roberts, and Briggs Lowe. Middle row, from left: Tyler Roberts and Clay Davis. Back row, from left: Marcus Lee, Jon Matthews, Andrew Swaw, Alex Hamilton, and sister Caitlyn Benson.
Showing may have been put on the back burner, but the hard-working Benson family are not resting on their laurels. They are dipping their resources into agritourism with a booming new venture — Dogwood Meadows Wedding Venue. Changing their barn from a kidding facility to a glamorous wedding venue in 2018 came naturally, Hannah says. With the rise of barn venues, family and friends needing more space for their parties began asking about the possibility of using their concreted barn. A gigantic, bright chandelier already hung in the center of the facility that Daniel had used because he needed more light during kidding season. Always willing to lend a hand, the Bensons agreed.
“We still had goats on one end, but ended up holding a graduation party, baby shower, and a wedding in it for some friends before we converted it,” Hannah says with a laugh. “I had kept some wedding flowers and items after John and I got married in 2018, and several people encouraged us to turn the barn into a wedding venue and use what I had bought. We were already maintaining the barn and not using it as much, so we decided to give it a try.”
Hannah oversees the wedding venue and says that people come from all different states to get married at Dogwood Meadows, some book it online site unseen. They are drawn to it for the 10 scenic mountain ranges you can see because it’s perched atop one of the highest points on the farm. Every weekend, she gives tours of the facility and about 30 weddings are held each year. Hannah has been careful to decorate in a rural but classy tone to keep it somewhat in its natural state.
Continually growing and evolving, Dogwood Meadows Wedding Venue consists of a 4,000-square-foot covered wedding pavilion that overlooks the breathtaking landscapes of the Cumberland Plateau and the 7,000-square-foot reception barn. Additionally, there are newly built bride and groom suites, a prep kitchen, bar, outdoor bench seating, and a patio with a fire pit. The venue can hold 200 people.
“This wedding venue has been a blessing to us,” says Daniel. “I feel comfortable now that when we pass over the farm to my girls and their kids, they will have not only the livestock to rely on but this event venue as well to rely on and be able to keep the farm going for many generations to come.”
For more information, visit www.dogwoodmeadowsvenue.com or call or text Hannah at (931) 260-3332.
By Page Haynes,
Contact phaynes@ourcoop.com