DOUG HANSON MADDIE'S DAD
information, but I know a lot of people in the industry struggle with infertility. Miracle Maddie is proof that you should never give up. Maddie is 5th generation beef producer on both sides and both families enjoyed showing at the county fair. Maddie was the first to exhibit at the Illinois State Fair in 2014. She received Grand Champion Simmental and was 5th overall. She had Grand Champion Simmental again in 2015.
While moving hay bales in the rain this morning I was thinking about Maddie's
upcoming birthday. Maddie turns 22 on
November 16th. Maddie's due date was supposed to be March, but she decided to come into the world four months early. She came in weighing one pound seven ounces. They call her a 23 weeker; that gestation only has a 10% chance of survival. prayed for Maddie since she was born, and many have enjoyed watching her grow and accomplish her goals. She barely weighs 100 pounds, and her biggest finger is no bigger than a McDonald’s straw. I never would have believed you had told me 22 years ago that Maddie would lead a 1,400 pound steer into the Championship Drive at the 2022 World Beef Expo… 22 years ago, I would stand at her incubator and just pray that she keep breathing. If she stopped breathing it was all over. Maddie was our last chance. She came after five miscarriages and one failed invitro with two embryos. On our second invitro, her mom insisted we put in Miracle Maddie was a fighter from day one. Thousands of people three embryos. She always says Maddie was that third embryo. I know this is personal
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Maddie had the goal of winning the Illinois State Fair Junior Show.
donor cow this week. These cows were selected to make show steers. Raising show cattle gave Miracle Maddie a Championship Drive that will be with her for the rest of her life. •
Maddie graduated from Lake Land Community College where she got a degree in Ag Business and Supply. She worked one year for Zach and Jenna Gray as a nanny. Her two Simmental State Fair Champions came from Gray Show Cattle. When Maddie came home from the State Fair in August she started full- time on our farm. She is responsible for all the daily activities with the 60 cow-calf pairs; as well as managing the 50 locker appointments we have for 2023 and growing the direct marketing business. She is also hoping to buy her 3rd
This was her last year to accomplish that goal. Her steer "Peaches" got her to the championship drive this past Summer when she was Reserve Champion AOB. She did not win the State Fair, but the World Beef Expo made it all worth the blood sweat and tears. In grade school, Maddie had to write a paper on what she wanted to be. She wanted to write that she wanted to raise cattle. Her mom told her that you must have a full-time job besides raising cattle. Lisa said, “Your dad is not able to just raise cattle and your grandfather was never able to just raise cattle.”
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