CALF_News_October_November_2019

40 CALF News • October | November 2019 • www.calfnews.net young stockman R CALF NEWS PRESENTS R By Patti Wilson Contributing Editor Ben Spencer isn‘t often easy to find. You see, he seems to always be moving – working, helping, observing, interacting with those around him. He moves around easily, for he is comfortable in his surroundings and well-liked by his peers. He isn’t the kind of guy who leans against the fence. The 14-year-old son of David and Tish Spencer of Gibbon, Neb., Spencer is home schooled by his capable mom. He gives a great deal of credit to his grandfather, Dan Hirschfeld of Kearney, as well. Spencer describes his elder as influential. Hirschfeld teaches teen classes at his local church, and is “very smart and knowledgeable.” According to friends and family, Spencer has only one immediate dilemma, one that every mother of a teenage boy will recognize; he needs to be fed large amounts of food at regular intervals. It’s a situation that makes everyone around him smile. Spencer’s family farms corn and soybeans and runs a herd of purebred cows. They hold an annual bull and female sale on the first Thursday in March where they have a select offering of Red Angus, Angus and now Limousin. Clearly, Spencer’s passion for life is centered around cattle. He glows with enthusiasm when he talks about the livestock and the family ranch. Being a practical fellow, he understands the necessity of farming to the family operation. He prefers haying to tending row crops, and often runs the baler, putting up hay in the summer. He would, however, prefer to have his hands on the cattle. Starting, as most kids do, at the local county fair, Spencer shows meat goats successfully to the national level. He finds them relatively easy to raise and handle – “fun and annoying.” He has tried his hand at raising a few hogs, but time restraints have curtailed the hog projects as the breeding cattle enterprise has filled Ben’s days with work. No longer a young sprout who only leads the livestock into the show ring, Spencer takes pride in his growing abilities to work cattle at the chute, contributing to the working crew at branding time. He was in charge of tagging calves last spring and is gradually taking over duties at the show barn, feeding, clipping and fitting. He credits the J6 Ranch herdsman Mark Blake, an Indiana native, as his teacher and mentor. Widely traveled and well spoken, the teenager has seen most of the United States showing Simmental and Red Angus. Now that he’s seen and observed an adequate number of cattle, Spencer has decided to start his own herd of purebred Lim- ousin. He describes the Limousin people as a big family that’s supportive of one another. In addition, the cattle are “great.” Spencer has already been on the road with his stock, and has been predictably successful; among other honors, he showed the open class Reserve Supreme Champion Bull at the 2019 Nebraska State Fair. In the junior 4-H show at the same event, he was named Champion Intermediate Showman. Having an outstanding year, he also showed the Reserve Champion 4-H Breeding Heifer and the Reserve Champion Market Goat. Obviously, the show ring has been good for Spencer and his family. Spencer says he loves it.“There are lots of great people out there.” He follows in the footsteps of his older brother, Ed, who attends the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and two sisters, Mary and Margaret. Mary is the office manager for J6 Farms, while Margaret teaches fourth-grade math and science in Houston, Texas. Although still young, Spencer says he is someday headed to college for an animal science degree. He “wants to learn about the whole process.” His final thought was one of gratitude.“This is a great industry and I love it. I plan to be in it for a while.” I’m guess- ing a very, very long while.  Ben Spencer had a great state fair. Several family members cheered him on: left, brother-in-law, Nathan, and sister, Mary Rackley. Behind the heifer in the blue tee shirt are Spencer’s mom, Tish, and his dad, David. Photo by Image Makers