Our Farm
The Risin’ Creek Goat Dairy and Creamery sits in the river valleys of beautiful southern Indiana, just outside the city of Martinsville. Our farm was once part of a much bigger farm, the Downey Farm, which contained our entire valley.
Remains of the original heritage can still be found on our farm, old hog houses in the deep woods, bricks and concrete from a tenant farmer house that has been torn down, a vegetable cellar that is buried into the side of the hill that is now a goat pasture. The remnants intrigue us, inspire us, and connect us with the farm’s past — a time that was much simpler. It’s these simple ways that guide us on a mission to farm in a sustainable way, free of chemicals, with love for the land, just like those who originally carved out the farmland we call home.
One of the most unique structures is a vegetable cellar built into the side of the hill behind our goat barn. It is one of our goals to restore the land to how it was 50 years ago, and to continue to care for it for many years to come.
Tim & Sheena Vanzant are the third generation of current owners, with three generations being active on the farm, Tim’s parents, Dana and Diann, Tim and Sheena, and their son Cole. Tim’s grandparents, Frank and Iola Nungester, purchased the property when the Downey Farmstead was dispersed.
Philosophy & Methods
Being good stewards of the land is the basic philosophy across all aspects of the farm. Sustainable farming practices are used to care for the land and animals. We fertilize our hay fields with composted manure from our animals. We avoid chemical sprays, both pesticides and herbicides, opting for more organic practices like fly traps, and fly predators for fly control.
The whey from making cheese is fed to our herd of heritage breed Tamworth pigs. Whey-fed pork is often thought to be the best available! If one of our goats requires antibiotics, her milk is withheld for twice the required withdraw period. Along with doubling any needed withdraw period, all of our milk is lab-tested for antibiotics prior to being used for product, as well as having monthly samples tested for bacteria and somatic cell counts. Random samples of finished product are taken by our dairy inspectors for further testing! This ensures that we have a clean, safe, antibiotic-free product that you can feel good about feeding your family.
No preservatives are used in our food products — no anti-caking agents, no artificial flavors, and no artificial colors either. You can feel comfortable serving our products to your family — we serve them to ours.
Our Cheese