About Medicine River Ranch
We are a family of 6 with a passion for homesteading and we operate a small, family ranch on the Medicine River in rural Oklahoma.
We focus on breeding and raising quality Mini Nubian dairy goats and registered Karakachan Livestock Guardian Dogs in addition to a variety of other livestock, a large vegetable/herb garden, and we run our own soap company in a farm store right here on our property.
How We Got Started
When we first got married in 2005, we had a dream of raising our children in the country. That dream became a reality in 2013 when we moved with our three young daughters to Kevin’s family land near Burlington, OK. We immediately began working to build our farm from the ground up as this land had been untouched for years. We moved to the farm when our house was finished in June of 2013 where we started this journey with only a couple dozen chickens, but soon added two Boer goats for our daughter’s birthday in July.
In 2017, our son was born, and we added our first breeding group of Mini Nubians. We quickly fell in love with the temperament of the Mini Nubians and the bonus of having our own supply of fresh, raw milk only added to our desire change our focus. Over the years, we have had up to 150 head of meat goats of various breeds, but our passion was in the Mini Nubians. We began adding to our dairy herd, even mixing in a few registered Nubian dairy goats, and in early 2020 we sold most of our meat goat herd. We decided to keep a small commercial meat herd to maintain the pastures and to provide another source of meat for our family.
We have a passion for homesteading and every animal and idea that we bring to the ranch serves a purpose in our goal of becoming as self-sufficient as possible in a modern world. We strive to breed quality Mini Nubians that not only conform to breed standards but are excellent milk producers. We use the raw goat milk for our family’s consumption, to feed or supplement baby bottle goats, and we also started our own soap company using our fresh goat milk. Each year we grow a large vegetable and herb garden, and we can or freeze enough for our family through winter.
Who Runs the Ranch?
Kevin Jantz
Kevin is the man of the ranch, if you will, and he is the muscle behind the hard work. Kevin works his full-time job off the farm, is a volunteer firefighter for the A&B Fire Department, deacon in our church, and still puts in many hours around the farm building fence, moving hay, mowing, etc.
Jami Jantz
Jami is the glue that holds our ranch together. She is the first one up and ready to work each morning and the last one to turn in in the evening. When you pull in the drive, you might find her tending the garden, working with the dairy goats, or inspecting a beehive just to name a few of the tasks that she performs each day. Although these tasks keep her running, she still makes time to spend with the family, as well as lead a women’s Bible study at church and she helps from time to time at the local diner.
Haylee, Chloe, Kennedy & Nathan Jantz
Each of our children play an important and vital role in the operation of the ranch and each have a project of their own for which they are responsible. In addition to their daily chores, our children are actively involved in school activities: basketball, cheerleading, FFA, as well as in our church children’s and youth programs.
Haylee, our oldest daughter, has a passion for crochet so she raises alpacas for their fiber and she hopes to sell the cria, or baby alpacas. Haylee plans to begin spinning the alpaca fiber into yarn to use in her crochet projects and to sell in our farm store, The Shop at Medicine River. She also takes care of much of the housework and babysitting of her younger siblings when there are big projects or jobs to be completed around the ranch.
Chloe, our middle daughter, is the go-to farm hand and she can be counted on to help with anything from milking to trimming hooves to drawing blood and mucking stalls. She enjoys everything outdoors and is always willing to lend a helping hand. She has taken an interest in dairy goats and is building her own herd of Mini Nubians that she cares for, breeds, and milks on her own. Chloe has also started a goat milk soap business that we have grown into a full family venture with a farm store right here on our property.
Kennedy, our youngest daughter, helps with feeding chores and enjoys learning to cook, make soap and cheese, and is always willing to lend a helping hand wherever needed. Kennedy raises rabbits for meat and pets and is working on starting a vermiculture operation to add to the rabbit operation.
Nathan, our son, is still too young to have a project of his own; however, he is not afraid to get dirty. Nathan helps Mom with the milking, gathers eggs, and is an excellent playmate for the baby animals around the farm. He loves to spend time with Dad in the tractor, exploring the goat pen or loving on the dogs when he is not digging in the dirt or climbing fences.
Our Other Projects
Medicine River Soap Co.
We encourage each of our children to find a project and we help them get started so that they learn the value of planning, hard work, dedication, and to rely on God through prayer, because let’s face it, we would not be where we are if it were not for God and raising livestock is not for the faint of heart.
Our middle daughter earned some money through our local 4H with her show goats and she wanted to do something with our fresh goat milk, so our soap company, Medicine River Soap Co. was formed in 2018. She has also decided to start raising her own herd of Mini Nubians, so she purchased her first set of does in 2018 and has been building her herd since. She is learning how to do the milking and she had her first kids born on the ranch in 2019 and will continue breeding and selling kids each year.
Our youngest daughter wanted to start a meat rabbit project, so she and her dad purchased a pair of New Zealand meat rabbits. She has since added several New Zealand White rabbits for breeding. She sells the rabbit kits for meat or pets and we butcher some to fill our freezers as well.
Our oldest daughter learned to crochet from her grandma years ago and has wanted to raise alpacas for their fleece. We found a breeding group of alpacas available in Colorado, so we added alpacas to the ranch in the summer of 2019. She had the alpacas sheared and will use the fiber to create yarn, dryer balls, etc. that will be for sale in The Shop at Medicine River Ranch. She will also breed the alpacas and plans to sell the cria.
Our son, although still too young to have his own project, was given a bottle calf for his third birthday and he enjoys feeding that calf and watching it grow. We plan to breed cattle and help him build his herd if that is what he chooses to do when he is old enough.
The Shop at Medicine River Ranch
In addition to our children’s projects, we also raise market goats for meat, pigs for meat, chickens for meat and eggs, and honeybees.
We recently remodeled a portable building on our property and opened a farm store, The Shop at Medicine River Ranch, where we make and sell our goat milk soap and other products, and where we will sell raw goat milk, eggs, raw honey, produce, and a variety of other farm fresh products.
Community Activities
While homesteading is our passion and we enjoy sharing our experiences with others and encouraging others, we are also highly involved in our community. We are active members in our church, where Kevin is a deacon, Jami leads a women’s Bible study, and our children enjoy being a part of our children’s and youth departments.
Kevin is also a volunteer firefighter for our local Fire Department and our children are active in extra-curricular activities through our local school.