Ballenger Farm & Homestead, 6630 Clark Road, Sunbury, OH (2026)

10/09/2026

That gorgeous gold boy on the left is a son of India Blue River Blossom, and grandson of Agape’s Prize Scarlet River. River strikes again! This boy is so correct in all areas and just keeps getting nicer and nicer as he grows!

I wasn’t planning on using him until next fall, but he’s in full baby rut, and I think I might have just the right doe to cross with him 🤔💜

And that’s my Lilly grandson on the right! I’m excited to see what these two will do for our herd moving forward!

10/08/2026

You all may remember that we posted a couple months ago about losing our faithful farm guardians, Solomon and Raton. They were bonded, and after Raton passed, Solomon followed less than a month later. Kenny and I talked almost 2 years ago, when both of our boys began to show their age, and wondered what the future would look like after they were gone.

We talked about whether we wanted to stick with the German Shepherd breed, or go to something different altogether. As we are entering our 9th year breeding dairy goats, we decided it made the most sense to switch to a livestock guardian breed.

A few years ago, we acquired the acreage behind us, and there is tons of grazing potential back there, but it backs up to a heavily wooded area that is full of coyote. I knew I wouldn't be able to safely graze the goats back there unless they were protected.

So I began to ask around about the different livestock guardian breeds. I wanted something that we could easily contain on our small farm (under 10 acres), and something that didn't bark ALL the time, and also a breed that was laid back enough so that I didn't have to worry about kids and such. And the one breed that was suggested on several occasions was...

The Maremma Sheepdog.

The Maremma is very similar to the Great Pyrenees in looks and size, but have differences in temperament.

Maremmas tend to be...

*Aloof
*Assertive
*Autonomous in their decision making
*Tend to get very bonded to their livestock and stick close to them
*Tend to bark only when there is a threat
*Slightly smaller and more athletic than the Pyrenees

Once we decided on the Maremma breed we set out to find a reputable breeder. They are a pretty rare breed, and there are not a lot of breeders. But we found a breeder down in Kentucky that was focusing on the original Italian lines, and so we got on their wait list. That was over a year ago.

I received a phone call back in June that a litter had been born and asked if we still wanted puppies. The timing of the litter could not have come at a better time as we ended up losing our sweet boys just over a month later.

So we reserved a male and female pup.!

They arrived at the farm about a week ago, and we have them settled into the dairy goat barn in a stall. They spent the first few nights in their own stall to where they could see and touch noses with the goats, but were separated. After they had settled in for a few days, we allowed them loose with the goats while we did chores so that they were under our supervision. They did EXCELLENT!

They did so well that last night I left their stall door open so they could come and go as they pleased, and this morning when I went to do chores, I walked in the barn to find they had brought about 8-10 large branches in from the pasture haha. They also ran at the fence barking when the neighbors dogs were let out O.O

They are already showing such intelligence it's nuts!

They have met our 2 female shepherds through the fence, and all has been well so far, but next week we will focus on introducing everyone in person (on leash). But so far I am loving what I'm seeing! They are already hanging out with the goats and seem to walk around just checking on everyone.

So without further ado, please welcome ROOSTER & ANNIE!

09/19/2026

Kicking off the fall baking season with my FAVORITE banana bread recipe! And it’s actually a vegan recipe! Years ago when I was trying out different ways of eating to see which ones my system liked the most, I ate vegan, plant based for awhile, and during that time I stumbled upon this recipe, and ever since it’s been my favorite banana bread recipe. I post the link below 👇🏼 along with some of the tweaks I made that I think make it even better.

Being in the kitchen is really one of my favorite places, and from the time I was in my 20’s it has been a creative outlet. Tinkering with recipes, creating my own recipes, etc, has always been a passion. And one day soon I DO want to get back to our family sized catered meals (I’ve had several of you ask me, and just know it’s under consideration💜).

Back to this banana bread..

This recipe is just good in all the right ways.

🔸 It has big chunks of banana, so as you’re eating you get big, moist chunks of banana

🔸 It is moist on the inside, with a thin, crunchy ‘crust’ on the outside

🔸 I am one of those weirdos that likes my banana bread cold from the fridge, and when it is able to sit and get cold, it develops this perfect dense texture, but not TOO dense.

🔸 And it’s not overly sweet. It is sweet enough to satisfy that sweet tooth, but not too sweet.

It’s just YUM!

So here are the tweaks I made to the original recipe…

1. Recipe calls for 3 bananas, and I use 5. They must be turning brown. Place them in the fridge overnight and let them get nice and cold (and firm), and then put them in a bowl and use a biscuit cutter to mash them into large chunks. The key is to see pieces that are about 1/2-1” in size. CHUNKY!

2. I use fresh milled spelt flour. The fresh milled flour just takes it to the next level

3. I decreased the brown sugar from 3/4 cup to 1/2 cup, it’s still plenty sweet, and could be decreased even more for those watching their sugar levels.

4. I used the flax egg option instead of the aqua faba liquid

5. I used butter instead of avocado oil (I don’t care about the vegan aspect but you can absolutely use avocado oil if you want to stay vegan!

6. I used fresh grated nutmeg and fresh ground cinnamon (next level taste explosion!)

7. I do not like any of the optional add-ins, just a personal preference. I am not crazy about chocolate chips or nuts in banana bread, but if you love them by all means add them 🙂

8. The way I make this, I do have to bake it for the full 55 minutes. I bake them in cast iron bread pans lined with parchment. Once they come out of the oven, I use the parchment paper to lift them out of the pans and place them on a cooling rack. Then I cover them with a tea towel and let them cool all the way down before slicing into them. if you cut into it while its warm, the inside will still be goo-ey, so it’s good to allow it to cool all the way down, as this allows the inside to finish firming up.

Either way, you will seriously love this banana bread 💗 Did I mention it’s my favorite?

https://rainbowplantlife.com/best-easy-vegan-banana-bread/

09/18/2026

I think it’s probably good time to let you all in on a project we took on..

I’m sure several of you saw the Facebook post of me smooching Tiny Angels RNB Sassaneq at RSG yesterday and might be wondering what’s going on. Do we own her now?

*Spoiler alert* ..NO, Abby did not sell Sassy to me LOL!

A little back story is needed..

I come from generations of horse people on my mom’s side, and a fiery red, quarter horse mare named Beauty was my first love. My dad’s family ran a dairy cattle operation, so agriculture runs in my veins. When I was a kid there was NO BETTER smell than walking into a horse barn. That and the smell of fresh cut hay 💗

I hung onto my horses until I was in my 30’s and then had to let them go when Ava was born. Life became complicated overnight. For years we lived in a rental home, unable to have anything but chickens.

When we bought this farm in 2018, I was so excited to get back into the agriculture life! We decided that our lives and farm set-up wasn’t practical for horses, so we shifted gears and made the venture into dairy goats.

My personality has always been one that looks to make the best out of whatever I am involved in. If I’m growing tomatoes I will study tomatoes, soil types, best growing practices, etc, because I want to grow the best tomato. When I worked in sales & marketing I studied my craft, talked to people, set goals, seeking to be the best sales trainer I could be. This same tendency has followed into whatever hobby I find myself in.

When it comes to dairy goats, I have always known that we will likely never be a show family. But I LOVE seeing everyone’s post and pictures from your shows! I love seeing the ribbons, the hard work, and the accomplishments on display! I live vicariously through many of you! But I know that will never be me, and I’m ok with that. But.. it doesn’t deter me from wanting the raise the best dairy goats I can 💪🏼

When I first got into dairy goats (with Nubians) my mentor told me, “Don’t pay attention to what others are doing. Learn the breed standard, and breed what YOU like, based on that standard.” And I internalized that. I’ve always had a picture in my mind of what body structure, udder, teat, etc, that I personally like. I love studying the foundation herds, genetics, seeing how different lines cross, and breeding a better goat.

So when I first began my dairy goat journey, I leaned on my equine experience. I studied the foundation herds, the successful herds, I figured out who was breeding the type of goat that I liked, and sought out those genetics to give me a good starting point. I fell in love with herds such as WoodBridge, Old Mountain Farm, Sugar Moon, Valley’s-Edge and this is ultimately what led me to Weedy Tavern Farm Lilly, and to her only surviving daughter, Tiny Angels RNB Sassaneq — ‘Sassy’.

Abby Schofield and I were chatting last year and Lilly’s name came up. We talked at length about Lilly and all of her accomplishments and how she truly was the total package. When Lilly scored an EEEE93 in 2018 at the age of 9, she was 22 months into her lactation. The judge at the time easily scored her a 93 and commented that, had she not been so far into her lactation, she could have easily scored a 94 or 95. He marked her udder as ‘stale’ so that it would be known that she scored an EEEE93 even WITH a stale udder.

During that conversation Abby mentioned how Sassy was Lilly’s only surviving daughter. After that conversation I began to wonder if it was EVEN POSSIBLE to consider harvesting embryos from Sassy, she was 9, almost 10 years old, and bringing an older doe like that all the way from Maine, and the stress involved… ugh, I wasn’t sure I wanted to even take that on. But I brought it up to Abby, and she agreed that it was a worthy venture.

So after tons of discussions, a signed agreement, and a meticulous plan centered on keeping Sassy healthy and happy, the decision was made to LEASE Tiny Angels RNB Sassaneq with the intention of harvesting embryos.

So earlier this summer, Sassy and her buddy French Toast, made the trip from Maine to our farm in Ohio, where they stayed for approx a month to relax and settle in, and then in August they made the final leg of their journey from Ohio to RSG (Reproduction Specialty Group), in Lebanon, IN.

Sassy will participate in the IVF (In-Vitro Fertilization) program at RSG over the next 9-12 months, and during that time her eggs will be fertilized by some of the top bucks the country has to offer. There are 3 or more generations of LA scores above 90, with E’s and V’s in shoulder assembly and udder. We are choosing bucks that we feel will complement her and also bring in production.

Me, Kenny and Ava drove out to RSG yesterday to visit Sassy and they were gracious enough to take us on a tour of their facility. INCREDIBLE!! We were shown the procedure room, the collection area, the labs, and they took the time to explain exactly how the oocytes (eggs) are extracted from Sassy, then taken by a personal courier and flown to Texas, where they will be introduced to semen in a controlled environment. Then when the embryos reach 5-7 days of development they will be frozen and stored at RSG for future use.

Our #1 goal is to preserve Lilly’s genetics for future generations. She embodied, in my opinion, dairy goat perfection.

Some may ask..

Q. What do you plan to do with the embryos?
A. Right now nothing. Ironically our family is stepping back from breeding much for the next couple years. We only plan to breed 3-4 does this fall. Our family needs to focus on getting out and living a little, so those little frozen babies will probably be on ice for at least 2 years 😁

Q. Will any of the embryos be for sale?
A. At this time we will not be offering any embryos for sale. I think it’s still way too early in the process, we will need to see how successful the collections are, how well Sassy does, etc. This venture is NOT a money-maker, and never was intended to be a money maker, so I don’t really see any benefit in selling embryos anyway. I think, futuristically, it makes the most sense to focus on getting these frozen babies safely on the ground and see what we have to work with from there.

Q. You don’t participate in shows and are unknown in the Nigerian world, so why do this?
A. Because I loved Lilly, and I think she was a bad ass, bottom line. I think her genetics deserve to be preserved. I was in a position to do it, so I did. Whenever I choose to participate in any venture, it either has to make sense or bring me joy, or both. So if I never step foot in a show ring… If I choose to walk away from Nigerians altogether tomorrow.. I would still have done this.

So for those who may have seen the picture of me kissing Tiny Angels RNB Sassaneq on the head yesterday and wondered if we own her now? LOL! I WISH!

Abby Schofield at Valley’s-Edge has been GRACIOUS enough to trust us with her sweet Sassaneq for the next year or so, with the hope that this venture can ultimately benefit everyone. I am just honored to play a small role in *hopefully* preserving these genetics for future generations.

PC to Valley’s-Edge Farm

09/17/2026

Drove out to visit this sweet girl at Reproduction Specialty Group, Inc. this afternoon. Hoping to preserve a very special piece of Nigerian history💜

More details to come!!

09/16/2026

I'm just apologizing right now to our adjacent neighbors. Our cows (who have PLENTY of fresh pasture) scream at the gate because they want grain. And then when I ignore them, they walk over to the neighbor's fence and scream and holler at them 😂

09/05/2026

Isn’t this a gorgeous young heifer?! This is Foxy, she’s a Holstein/Jersey cross and will be playing her part in helping us attain our goal of having a small beef-cross herd.

Last fall we purchased this pretty girl from a local farmer, and her genetics should make her a spectacular home dairy cow prospect💗

Later this fall (Lord willing) she will be covered by a South Poll bull (which is closely related to a Hereford) and this will make her resulting calf a 50/50 dairy/beef cross.

Our goal within 3-4 years is to slowly build a small herd of 7-8 beef cross cows that can raise a calf each year, that will be raised for meat for our family.

We are completely re-doing all of our fencing in a couple months, with the focus on pasture rotation & regenerative agriculture. We are putting in a pasture system where all of the pastures are connected by gates, which will make it easy to move livestock from pasture to pasture, and will also allow easy access by machinery for maintenance and repairs etc.

Along the top of each fence row will run a bare hot wire, that will connect all the pastures, and this will allow us to easily cordon off individual sections to rotate smaller groups of animals such as goats, sheep or pigs.

There will be 4 large pasture, that can be further divided into several pastures as needed. We have lived on this farm for more than 8 years now, and during that time we have figured out what works and what doesn’t.

We have (mostly) figured out what our family likes, and what we don’t, and mostly what brings us JOY. This is such a huge thing that I don’t think gets enough airtime in the homesteading community. Homesteading can be hard work, shoot… LIFE can be hard work! We launched our homesteading journey the year after our daughter was born with one simple goal in mind…

To not be dependent on the ‘system,’ and in our case, the electrical grid for starters. When the remnants of Hurricane Ike came roaring through the Ohio valley in the fall of 2008, we were freshly home with a medically fragile child and tons of medical equipment…. And we lost power for almost 2 weeks! During that time we used a cheap power inverter to keep her most critical pieces of equipment charged - her ventilator and suction machine - the two pieces of equipment that were responsible for protecting her airway.

So our journey into homesteading was never for preparing for the apocalypse, though we do have a bit of a prepper mindset LOL, but we are more about being self-sufficient and making that a lifestyle.

When COVID happened in 2020, there were so many food items that were sold out, and this was something that never affected us. At any given time, we have enough stored food to sustain our family for upwards of 2 years.

We had to take a step back the last couple years and get our feet back under us. Homesteading is a lifestyle that we have come to love, but as with anything, it is easy to get caught up in what ‘everyone else is doing’ and I think - at a level - everyone who lives the homesteading life has to try out several things, several types of livestock, and several systems, just to see what works best for them!

Over the years we have raised so many breeds and variations of livestock, and some we loved, some were just so-so, and others we decided, “Yeah that isn’t for us,” LOL.

In late 2023, my husband and I decided to try a strict carnivore diet (for some health issues that both of us were experiencing), and ultimately my husband experiences much lower inflammation when he eats animal based. As far as me, my body still craves vegetables and fruit and seems to thrive best on variety, but processed foods are def a NO-NO for both of us.

So after all these years we have found that our bodies respond best to ruminant meats (beef, goat, lamb, deer) and so that will be our focus.

We’ve also discovered that we want to find a good way to always keep a couple pigs on the homestead to feed kitchen and garden scraps to. Pigs are an awesome garbage disposal for a busy household! The last several batches of pigs we have raised we have raised almost entirely on kitchen, garden and orchard scraps., and that’s an awesome feeling!

Our (revised) Top 3 Homestead Goals going into Fall 2026, and into 2027.

1. Re-do all the pastures to make pasture rotation EASY and to accommodate several types of livestock at the same time.

2. Completely re-do the raised bed gardens, and to create other garden spaces, to make growing food for our family even easier for the 2027 gardening season.

3. Grow fresh herbs and greens all winter in the greenhouse

(*Note* This heifer is in excellent shape, and in fact some dairy folk might even consider her slightly fat!)

09/04/2026

We finally got the other pasture fence done so we can rotate the cows. They were SO happy to be out on fresh pasture!

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