35 years ago, Bruce Grassman, the founder of Results Broadcasting, came up with an idea to honor women in farming. It was a way to recognize the importance of women in agriculture, and use their stories as a way to inspire future women, and men, to pursue their dreams of farming. On Tuesday, during a luncheon at Jackson Point Sports Bar and Grill at Crystal Springs in Seymour, Results Broadcasting’s Family of Radio Stations announced the winner of the 35th Annual Farm Woman of the year. This year’s winner….Brooke Detert!
Brooke, her husband Cody, and their 2 sons, run Cedar Rapids farm near Symco.
Brooke’s nomination papers including continuous references to her helping out in the community and at church…
Brookes story is an inspiration to future farmers, and hopefully, to her sons.
Results Broadcasting’s four local radio stations gave their listeners an opportunity to nominate area farm women who they thought would be most deserving of this award.
More on Brooke and excerpts from the nomination papers
Brooke and Cody have a dairy farm together, when Brooke was a kid she worked from little on as a worker milking cows at her Dads farm. Cody worked for a local farmer for years and at his Dads farm, knowing he wanted to start his own farm he went to work at Marion Body. As Cody worked there he bought his Dads farm land and began farming and also met Brooke. While Cody and his friends rebuilt the milking barn and Cody worked full time, Brooke would do all the field work around the farm, they got married and had one child together at the time, Brooke tilled planted and bailed hay every day while Cody worked in town. Cody and Brooke purchased there heard of come in 2016 of Milk cows, Cody being 28 and Brooke 27 there oldest son of 6 was very excited. However Cody still had to work at Marion Body for some time until the farm was going for several months. During this time Brooke became pregnant with their second son. Cody being at work every day relied on Brooke to maintain the farm. Brooke got up every morning, milked and fed as well as did the entire barn cleaning and field chores while being pregnant, with the only exception of pausing to take the oldest boy Easton to school and to pick him up. As the operation was running well there were still chores to be done and buildings to be finished, Cody and his family/friends would work on finishing off the buildings, thinking Brooke would take some time for herself being pregnant she didn’t, she helped work on the buildings every day when she was done with chores. Cody worked in town the entire term of Brooke’s pregnancy, up until the day Brooke had the baby, she milked the cows every day at 5 am mixed feed all by herself and cleaned the barn with the skid steer. At 9 months pregnant Cody and Brooke worked hard to keep the new farm up and going. To see Brooke feeding the new calves at 9 months along in 90 degree day was an amazing thing for the family friends and community. There oldest boy had helped out as much as he could as well as Cody’s Dad. Now there boy is almost one year old, and nothing has changed, you can go by the farm see Brooke milking Cody and his father(Lowell) mixing feed, and the oldest son of 6 feeding calves. I know the family very well and I am there neighbor, we try and help each other out with things, But seeing Brooke poured herself into their farm while being pregnant was an amazing thing. The barn is complete and they are up to 95 cows in just one year time Cedar Rapids farm was started in the early 80s and was shut down non operational in the late 90s. Since then Cody and Brooke Detert have bought it and taken it over 15 years later. The Farm was originally Cody’s fathers farm and it was in need for a complete remodel. Cody Brooke and some family friends in 2015 started to rebuild the farm right after Cody and Brooke had gotten married and purchased the farm. They bought 200 acres that the farm sat on and started with beef cattle and ag land until there new parlor was remodeled. Cody and Brooke now Pregnant in 2016 had moved there first 54 dairy cows into the farm for the first time. Brooke and Cody milked and feed cows every day together. Brookes job was to get the kids to school in between Milking and to rack hay thereafter. They Milked right up until her water Brooke with their 2nd son in the heat of the summer months while feeding caves. Cody and
Brooke now run 400 acres of land, are up to 92 dairy cows and are expecting there 3rd son. The barn renovation is complete as Brooke put the finally touches on the farm by painting the barn.
