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October 2004

February 1996, is a month that will forever stay fresh in the minds of Steve and Stacie Ballard, Gooding, Idaho. That was when the first 25 Jersey heifers arrived at their farm.

Months before the heifers arrived, the Ballards picked up a copy of the Jersey Journal, and liking what they saw, went to Kurt Alberti’s Jersey farm, Wendell, Idaho, and told him they wanted to start dairying, neither with any previous experience. You see, Stacie was from Los Angles, Calif., and Steve from San Diego, Calif.

Stacie recalls Alberti’s response, “He said that we were crazy!” This didn’t stop them though. “I asked Kurt to allow me to work full-time on his farm for free while he taught me what I needed to know to get started,” she continues.

Stacie worked on the farm for six months, learning to milk and other daily farm functions, while Steve worked as a full-time mechanic. Also during this time, the couple built their farm. In February 1996, the order they placed with Jersey Marketing Service for 25 springers arrived and within the next few months the couple started milking.

“I think that the most important element in a person’s happiness is a love for their career,” Stacie professed, “And I love going to the barn day in and day out.”

Another Change

Three years ago, the Ballards decided it was time for another change. This time the change was mandatory, to maintain their happiness. They had three choices: sell the herd, which was most definitely not an option; expand the herd, which wouldn’t allow them to provide the personal care they strive for; or try something totally different.

The decision was made to try something different and as Stacie says, “Take control of our own destiny,” and start processing cheese on their farm.

This was appealing to the Ballards because they knew their Jersey milk had the ingredients to make a quality product that people would enjoy and truly believed that “America Loves Cheese.”

Starting the on-farm processing plant, according to Stacie, was a lot like starting their farm and they visited with other people around the country who were doing the same thing they were.

The visits were helpful to Steve and Stacie, as they saw different ways producers were doing things and saw the pros and cons in many different situations. With the information gathered at these farms, Steve and Stacie went home and began construction of their plant. With the exception of some pipe work in the plant, the Ballards constructed the building themselves, “It took us three years to complete,” Stacie said, “But we did it all ourselves.”

During the construction period, Stacie also attended classes in Madison, Wis., and San Luis Obispo, Calif., on cheese making and other classes like Biology, that would help as they processed the cheese.

In May 2004, Steve and Stacie processed their first batch of Cheddar Cheese in their new plant. Since then they have been processing the cheese once a week, using 2,500 pounds of milk and yielding about 340 pounds of cheese. The remainder of the milk is shipped off of the farm.

Making the Cheese

The process of making high quality cheese takes about 10 hours from start to finish, according to Stacie. It starts with milk going through the pasteurization process. It is then enhanced with cultures and enzymes, which turn the milk into a “jell-o like firmness.” Next, it is cut into squares and is turned, separating the whey from the curds.

The whey is pumped out of the cheese vat and the remaining curds are pushed to the bottom of the vat where they form together. They are cut into squares and the cheddaring process begins. This is when the squares are stacked on top of each other and rotated about every 10 minutes, pushing more of the whey out of the cheese. This process goes on until the pH level is near 5.2.

The cheese is then hand-milled into large curds. Steve and Stacie take these large curds, add some salt and package them for sale as cheese curds. The remaining cheese is pressed into wheels, vacuumed packed and left to age for 60 days.

“The longer the cheese is able to age, the better the flavor will be,” Stacie explained.

The whey bi-product that is produced during the cheese making process does not go to waste at the Ballard’s farm. The protein-rich ingredient is mixed into the total mixed ration that is fed to the herd.

Marketing the Product

The Ballards are currently processing plain and pepper cheese curds along with mild and pepper cheddar. The curds are sold in local grocery stores and the cheese, which has only recently been made available, is sold to local restaurants. They have had stores from California and Seattle, Wash., call for their product and Stacie has hopes of working with local schools to sell the cheese curds at football games.

“The younger generation will help our business,” Stacie said. “I would love for them to get into our product.”

Stacie has done taste tests at her home, offering guests a comparison of their cheese to a nationally known brand. Stacie said that all of her guests have chosen the cheese made at Ballard Family Dairy and Cheese as their preference.

“They say our cheese is creamier and tastes like cheese used to taste,” Stacie said. “This is because our cheese is not standardized. This is because we use Jersey milk that doesn’t need to have fat or protein added to the milk, to get the yield that we want.” The added fat and protein can give the cheese a rubbery consistency.

Knowing what the cows eat, how they feel and the great care that they get is a source of pride for Stacie. “I love my cows and give them all the credit for our great product,” she says passionately. “I can tell my customers that (our cheese) is a hormone free product and they can believe me because I take care of the cows, day in and day out.”

Looking to the Future

The Ballards have big plans for their farm in the future. They hope to host a number of tours and develop an educational facility for kids to teach them about dairying and agriculture.

“I am a city girl,” Stacie says. “I know what city people know about farming and I want to change that.”

The cheese facility was designed with the future in mind. Large viewing windows were placed at the front, so visitors can watch the cheese making process. They also plan to allow others interested in making cheese on their farm to stay with them for an extended period of time, to learn the process and how much work goes into it.

The Ballards hope to add more products to their line. It is just a matter of time before this will happen. One thing that will not go away is the passion they found less then 10 years ago milking Jersey cows.