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AT A GLANCELocation: Lancaster County and Chester County
Total Animals: 3,500 Milkings per day: 3 times at 5 locations Rolling Herd Average: 28,800 pounds Acres of pasture & forage production: 950 acres Hay/Silage forages: corn and ryegrass Workforce: 27 |
FARM HISTORY
Arlin Benner began farming at the ripe old age of four on the dairy farm that has been in his family for four generations. "As soon as my feet could touch the pedal, I was driving a tractor," says Arlin. He would rise at 5am every morning, feed the cows, come in for breakfast, go to school, come home from school, work until dark, eat dinner, and go to bed. Saturdays included a full day of work, but on Sundays, they had mid morning off to go to church. Such was the life of a dairy farmer and his family. Cows don't take off weekends or holidays!
Hard work paid off in 1990 when Arlin bought out his father's business and began running the farm solo. At the time, he was milking 120 cows and farming 300 acres. In 1996, life changed dramatically for Arlin when he met his Aunt's tenant, Deborah. She was a working television, print, and stage actress from New York City who had been cast in a show in Lancaster, PA. Two weeks after they met, without yet going on a date, Arlin proposed. They were married three months later. That's the short version! Their lives together in the beginning mirrored the 1960's television sitcom, "Green Acres," where the New York City wife comes to live on a farm, fluffy pink slippers and all. Of course Arlin had never seen the sitcom, because he grew up without television.
Within two years of their marriage, Arlin asked Deborah to leave her acting career to come work on the farm full-time with him. "No, New York is where I'd rather be," she sang. But, as life would have it, Deborah agreed and so began her career transformation as a dairy farmer. Six short months later, they purchased the neighbor's dairy which began the "Yippee! Farm" expansion dream. They now had two dairies and more ground to work! Within a year, a third expansion opportunity arose - a neighboring dairy was going out of business. A couple years later, a smaller fourth dairy down the road came up for rent... Guess who could not let it go?! Deborah cringed at the idea of more work, but soon "bit the bullet" and prayed for more hours in a day in the true spirit of a dairy woman.
In 2012, Arlin and Deborah embarked on their biggest adventure yet… after seven trips, spanning 13 months to and from Ukraine, they adopted five children. In 2017 the family of seven purchased their fifth dairy an hour away from home - adding 1500 more cows! I guess they thought they needed more to do since five kids wasn’t enough!?
Hard work paid off in 1990 when Arlin bought out his father's business and began running the farm solo. At the time, he was milking 120 cows and farming 300 acres. In 1996, life changed dramatically for Arlin when he met his Aunt's tenant, Deborah. She was a working television, print, and stage actress from New York City who had been cast in a show in Lancaster, PA. Two weeks after they met, without yet going on a date, Arlin proposed. They were married three months later. That's the short version! Their lives together in the beginning mirrored the 1960's television sitcom, "Green Acres," where the New York City wife comes to live on a farm, fluffy pink slippers and all. Of course Arlin had never seen the sitcom, because he grew up without television.
Within two years of their marriage, Arlin asked Deborah to leave her acting career to come work on the farm full-time with him. "No, New York is where I'd rather be," she sang. But, as life would have it, Deborah agreed and so began her career transformation as a dairy farmer. Six short months later, they purchased the neighbor's dairy which began the "Yippee! Farm" expansion dream. They now had two dairies and more ground to work! Within a year, a third expansion opportunity arose - a neighboring dairy was going out of business. A couple years later, a smaller fourth dairy down the road came up for rent... Guess who could not let it go?! Deborah cringed at the idea of more work, but soon "bit the bullet" and prayed for more hours in a day in the true spirit of a dairy woman.
In 2012, Arlin and Deborah embarked on their biggest adventure yet… after seven trips, spanning 13 months to and from Ukraine, they adopted five children. In 2017 the family of seven purchased their fifth dairy an hour away from home - adding 1500 more cows! I guess they thought they needed more to do since five kids wasn’t enough!?
The Benner Family
Him (Arlin Benner) = Fourth Generation Mennonite Farmer
Her (Deborah Benner) = NYC Actress
PLUS five children adopted from Ukraine...
Together = YIPPEE!
Her (Deborah Benner) = NYC Actress
PLUS five children adopted from Ukraine...
Together = YIPPEE!
Community Outreach
CALL US "CHEESY"... WE ARE USEFUL TO THE LAST DROP!
There are times that dairy farms in the Northeast produce more milk than there is demand for in the market. Farmers are asked to dispose of the milk into digesters if there is one on the farm (YIPPEE! has one, click here to read more). Dairymen, along with dairy distributors, are working to see this excess rarely happens; but when demand is low, you can't "turn off" the cows! There are so many people in need that we, as a family, decided to take our excess milk and make cheese to distribute to food banks, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, girls homes, or any other venue/ministry in need, down to single families. Just one more creative way that dairy farmers can serve America!
"COW CONNECTION"
All guests staying at the Rocky Acre Bed & Breakfast (run by Arlin's parents), located on one of the dairies, have the opportunity to experience what life is like on a working dairy farm. We are happy to help people understand what it takes to get food to their tables.
YIPPEE! FARMS also welcomes continuing education events hosted by professional dairy and agricultural associations.
