We had the good fortune of connecting with Katelin Benkoski and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Katelin, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Passion and perseverance. Working in production agriculture can be extremely challenging, as well as rewarding. Day to day we are a fully operational family dairy farm, but we have also diversified into agritourism. We are passionate about teaching others where their food comes from and giving folks the opportunity to interact with livestock that they may not have otherwise.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Our family farm was started in Georgia in 1947. Theresa and John Benkoski Sr. moved their dairy farm from Connecticut to Georgia to get away from the snow. This operation has been a family owned and operated business for over 75 years. We are a full time dairy farm focused primarily on milk production, but we have diversified into agritourism as well to hit a niche market. We love sharing and teaching others about agriculture, especially the dairy cow. Being passionate about agricultural education, we hope to keep doing farm tours for many years to come. However, this is not always easy. Being able to give consumers the best, fully educational experience we have to coordinate and plan. Our farm tours are by appointment only so that we can properly prepare for the group coming, make sure we time a cow’s milking for the day for a demonstration, and we adapt our lesson to fit the educational needs of the group visiting. Tours are 90 minutes long and we have a basic tour but we also adapt to do lessons for high school students in food science, FFA students interested in veterinary medicine, elementary school farm economics, and for special needs groups as well. In the fall we even offer a combo tour with our pumpkin patch! Using agricultural education and science standards for Georgia curriculum helps guide us to cover specific topics. We strive to give all visitors the best experience that caters to the aspect of dairy farming in which they have the greatest interest. Along the way we have learned how to manage large groups, small groups, and how to adapt terminology to fit the understanding of someone without an ag background. Helping people relate to something they understand often helps them understand agriculture practices with a greater appreciation.
We hope people learn about agriculture from us and grow a respect for farmers and ranchers. We work hard every day to make the world a better place, give our cows the best life possible, and provide dairy products to consumers. Family farmers strive to provide the best food and fiber products as they want to provide the same quality to you as they would their own family. Follow along with us on social media or book a tour with us to learn more about our story to continue our farm family legacy for many years to come.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Madison, Georgia is a special place that we call home. Living in a small town and an agricultural county, there aren’t a whole lot of sights to see. However, it is a quaint place that many visit to see the antebellum homes, find treasures in antique stores, and eat at quaint local restaurants. We highly recommend visiting during the fall. You can see the leaves changing, get a pumpkin at our pumpkin patch, watch an antique tractor parade as part of the Cotton Gin Festival, drive up the road to Athens to see the Dawgs play between the Hedges, and enjoy a Burning Sherman sandwich at a local lunch spot. Madison has neat things going on throughout the year, but fall is one of our favorites. You may even catch a movie star on the right weekend as Madison is a favorite moving filming destination!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are many, MANY individuals that have helped our farm operation and agritourism venture get to where it is today. We couldn’t do what we do without the support of family, friends, cooperative extension, church members, 4-H, FFA, small businesses, industry partners, and so many others. On the day to day basis though, our Farmer John puts in more time, thought, work, and energy than should really be humanly possible. He keeps the farm going. He works 16+ hour days, comes up with new ways for us to improve and/or grow, and works super hard to do his best with all tasks. We couldn’t do it without him!

Website: www.bigsandycreekdairy.com

Instagram: @bscdairy

Facebook: Big Sandy Creek Dairy Farm

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@bigsandycreekdairyfarm

Other: https://linktr.ee/bscdairy

Image Credits
Sister portraits were taken by Katey Penton with Katey Penton Photography

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