our kids: AGRICULTURE
Cooper Bench —
The Stock Show Must Go On
BY CHRISTINA LOVELESS
MARCH 2016
PA R K E R C O U N T Y T O D AY
I
t began when Cooper Bench was just 6 years old and
started to show market goats with 4-H Clover Kids. The
second year he showed, one of the goats he presented
was named “Mark,” and he was purchased by First
National Bank. Cooper and Mark, the prize showgoat,
landed on the back cover of Parker County Today magazine, thanks to the folks at First National.
Nowadays, Cooper is a sophomore at Weatherford
High School, serves as the second vice-president for
Springtown 4-H Club, and keeps the Bench family tradition of livestock showing alive. Cooper is a fifth-generation Parker County native. Cooper’s grandfather Ronnie
Towles, the one responsible for getting him involved
in 4-H, and who has helped him with all the amazing
opportunities that Cooper has been a part of, has been
associated with showing since he was in school.
Kristi Towles Brantley, Cooper’s mother, is quick to
proudly point out that Cooper is a third-generation showman. And now Cooper is teaching his younger sister
Kember and his cousins all about the family tradition.
Over the years he has shown a variety of different
animals including market goats, rabbits, turkeys, swine
and heifers. And Cooper has won numerous awards.
“I have placed several times at the county show
through market goats and swine,” Cooper said. At the
May project show, Cooper got first in class with his
steer, Leroy, and second in class with his heifer named
Henrietta. “And at the following June show I got fifth in
class with both of my animals.”
Kristi said that last year Cooper received his biggest
award, the Beef Gain Award, with his steer Leroy. “His
steer gained more weight than any other animal,” Kristi
said. At the last Fort Worth Stock Show, Henrietta won
third in class. “It was my first place at a major,” Cooper
said.
Showing animals comes pretty naturally for Cooper
— after all, it is in his blood. But there is one aspect of
showing that Cooper admits doesn’t come easy for him.
“It’s having to say goodbye to the animal,” he said.
What’s the best part? One of the best reasons to get
involved with showing, according to Cooper, is “the
personal experience, the relationships you create.” He
added that it’s like a family — people would step in to
help him anytime he needed help with anything.
His advice for others? Don’t quit, and don’t let go.
“For quite a while I wanted to stop showing because
hitting a pig with a stick, I thought it was boring,” Cooper
said. “But I was 10-years-old; now it’s fun. I have made
friends with people.”
Cooper then realized that colleges will notice what
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you have already accomplished and it teaches you perseverance. He also realized that “showkids” tend to get
better degrees.
After high school Cooper plans on getting his basics
at Weatherford College before pursuing an agricultural
degree or an engineering degree from Texas A&M.