The Ballards operate a diverse farm

Catering to Raw Milk Lovers

By Terry Ropp Milk and Honey Hill Farm moves toward

Jersey cows and A2/A2 production Clint and Joy Ballard own Milk than being homeschooled, the children and Honey Hill Farm on 40 acres attended two different schools, which in the community of New Blaine, required Joy driving three hours per day. Ark. They run a small-scale, diverse famFurther, Clint didn’t want the family to ily farm producing raw cow milk, honey, continue milking in addition to all the eggs, pork, firewood and more. other chores involved with the family’s

Clint grew up on a cow/calf operation. dual mission of promoting income secuAs a youngster, his job was to milk their rity through diversity and creating better single Guernsey cow while his brothers food security for themselves and their worked with beef cattle. customers. The result was suspending the

Joy was raised in town until she was 5. raw milk part of their income. Then she and her entire family went to Bottle calves were purchased, with one Papua New Guinea where her parents highly-productive cow needing to nurse served as missionaries. The family refour calves in order to accommodate her turned to the United States when she milk production. was 13. Clint is now moving

The couple purthe dairy herd toward jority of milking cattle have a mixture chased land in 2016 A2/A2 genetics using of A1/A2 genes with only a small perand began milking in AI and a Jersey cleancentage having A2/A2 genes. Research 2017. An important up bull. Recently the suggests A2/A2 milk may be easier to consideration in everyfirst heifer born and digest, perhaps most important for those thing they do is Clint raised on the farm had who are lactose intolerant. serving as a Special her first calf. When the In Arkansas, farms such as the BalForces medic in the calf was born. lard’s, can sell up to 500 gallons of raw Army National Guard. The couple selected milk off the farm and they usually proAfter having served Jersey rather than the duce about 300 gallons with any extra on active duty for 10 Guernsey from Clint’s going to make personal use yogurt and years, Clint joined the childhood as their butter. Most dairy customers drink and National Guard and milking breed. Of cook with the milk and are within 30 will soon be retiring course, a prime considmiles. Nearby Subiaco is home to Subiafter 21 years. During eration for a raw milk aco Academy (a boarding school). Parthat time, Clint was dairy is the higher fat ents, who come from as far away as Louideployed to eight differcontent, which is up to siana, Texas, Fort Smith or Little Rock, ent countries while Joy and their five chil6.8 percent for Jerseys as opposed to 5 will occasionally buy several gallons at a dren – Aidan (15), Lily (13), Grace (10), percent with Guernseys, and a little less time when visiting their children. Gabriel (8) and Serenity (5) – maintained than 4 percent with Holsteins. Other dairy customers are artisan cheethe farm during his sporadic absences. “I felt Jerseys made more sense for us semakers. While at this point Milk and

Everything changed last because they have a smaller Honey Hill Farm has no production conyear when Clint was deframe and are more docile; tracts, the cheesemaking market is imporployed for six months to New Blaine, Ark in addition to being good tant. Customers include Hispanic families Africa. The six-month degrazers in Arkansas’s hotter who often make queso fresco, an unaged, ployment required major climate,” Clint said. semisoft cheese with a mild, slightly salty adjustments, especially in An equally important considflavor and a moist and creamy texture that terms of the children’s edueration centers around milk procomplements Mexican and other Latin cation and the dairy. Rather tein gene markers. The huge maAmerican cuisines. Joy has taught butter 14 Ozarks Farm & Neighbor • www.ozarksfn.com

Clint Ballard and his family offer raw milk from their Jersey cows, as well as other farm products.

Submitted Photos

and cheesemaking in the past, and looks forward to doing so when family life returns to normal with Clint’s return.

The Ballard’s currently have five Jersey cows and retain heifers so they can expand their milk production. Because Clint prefers calving to coincide with green up, two-thirds are born in the spring and one-third in the fall. Larger spring calving lowers annual feed costs with a 10 percent protein five-way blend from their local coop used during milking. Extra bottle calves are fed out for personal meat consumption and sold to cover winter hay expenses.

The NRCS has helped ease the burden of start-up capital for key infrastructure on the farm such as water lines, stock waterer, tree thinning and electric fencing. The farm uses rotational grazing organized around a centrally located frostfree waterer with paddocks radiating out and defined by high tensile electric fencing. Silvo-pasture is the blending of forestry and grazing. Tree density is managed to provide sufficient sunlight to reach the pasture. In turn the grazing animals prune and deposit fertilizer for the trees which will produce high quality Pine and hardwood saw logs in 15

meet your neighbors

years as well as firewood and mulch from the cull trees.

Pastures have been improved through added clover to increase protein content and are comprised mainly of Bermuda with some warm season native grasses. The land is seeded with annual rye grass for winter forage.

A second part of the Ballard operation is three dozen chickens with guinea hens serving as an early warning system for predatory eagles. While the family consumes some of the daily three dozen eggs, they also sell eggs to neighbors and milk customers.

“The folks who come to buy milk, are often very appreciative of being able to buy their eggs, honey and other things here as well,” Clint explained. “The eggs are just another part of our effort to provide food security by having another option besides the grocery store.”

Echoing the diversity of subsistence farms of the past, the Ballards raise pork. They have two Boston Mountain sows that produce two litters a year and run with the boar on 2 wooded acres. Diet is supplemented with waste milk and the same co-op ration in order to keep them accustomed to human handling. An average litter is 10 piglets, half of which are sold at weaning to those who want to raise their own pork. The other half is grown out for slaughter by customers or sold piecemeal after USDA-certified processing.

Six or seven years ago Clint started a honey operation with two hives. He now has 14, most of which came from splitting the hives in the spring though he did capture a few swarms.

“We are happy with the size of our farm and are simply looking to be more efficient and productive, perhaps adding a commercial kitchen as part of our community food security mission,” explained Clint.

Then Joy added, “This is truly a family operation where our children enjoy a good day’s work and learn something that cannot be taught by videogames. Aiden, our oldest, may play computer games for perhaps an hour a day when the workload allows, but he is constantly saying how much he misses working with his dad and the conversations they have together.”

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Harrison 502 Hwy 62-65 N. 870-741-9084

Green Forest 181 W. Main St. 870-438-5184

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Flippin 9095 Hwy. 62 E. 870-453-4400

Huntsville 304 Labarge Ave. 479-738-6814

Berryville 344 Hwy. 21 N. 870-423-4245

Yellville 801 Hwy. 62 W. 870-449-4966

Lincoln 700 W. Hwy 62 479-824-3291

Imboden 5564 Hwy 63 East 870-869-2644

www.powellfeedstores.com

Be sure to like our Powell Feed & Milling Co. Inc. Facebook page to keep up with new products, specials, coupons, giveaways, and MUCH MORE!

Harrison 502 Hwy 62-65 N. 870-741-9084

Green Forest 181 W. Main St. 870-438-5184 Siloam Springs 1629 E. Main 479-524-3511

Flippin 9095 Hwy. 62 E. 870-453-4400

Huntsville 304 Labarge Ave. 479-738-6814

Berryville 344 Hwy. 21 N. 870-423-4245

Yellville 801 Hwy. 62 W. 870-449-4966

Imboden 5564 Hwy 63 East 870-869-2644

WWW.POWELLFEEDSTORES.COM Be sure to like our Powell Feed & Milling Co. Inc. Facebook page to keep up with new products, specials, coupons, giveaways, and MUCH MORE! 550849z

Call 870-438-6915 For Sale Information & For Special Sales For on Farm Appraisal or Hauling Contact One of the Following:

Berryville Kevin (Short) Williams H - 870-423-3099 C - 870-423-8444

Kevin Logan H - 870-545-3637 C - 870-423-7708

Clifty Elmer Robertson C - 479-466-0904

Kingston Troy Cline H - 479-665-2934 C - 479-738-7746

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