12/04/08 Women of the Year, Ballard

Stacy and Steve Ballard moved their family from San Diego to the Magic Valley in 1993. They came to Idaho with a dream of being dairy farmers. Stacy jumped started it by buying a Jersey calf and that grew a 50 acre dairy, farmstead cheese operation. Starting out, well that was tough. BALLARD "We had to call strangers and say do you know anybody that knows how to deal with a calf that doesn't suck? At this time we didn't know anybody in Idaho so they sent us to somebody that did. We called them up unknownst to them, hi, we're your neighbors and ask them the question. We did the same thing with the cheese. We went and we toured cheese plants, cheese facilities. We talked to people We asked questions. We talked to our milk inspector. We talked to our bankers, we talk to anybody we can get as much information as we can and we still do. Don't let anybody tell you can do anything because you can." Ballard Cheese is a big hit at farmers markets or when people tour their Gooding dairy. Stacy Ballard, Idaho Farm Bureau's District Three Woman of the Year. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott