About Jackrabbit Ranch
 D.J. grew up in a small town in New Hampshire and moved to Los Angeles at age 19. He relocated to Utah in 2004 and started Jackrabbit Ranch. His goal was to get closer to the land, which is the source of our food. And the land determined the direction of the business. With heavy clay soil and alkaline salts, the vegetation that grows here isn’t palatable to most animals. The land said “goats,” so that is what Jackrabbit Ranch chose.
There are three things you can do with goats: meat, milk, and fiber (wool). We love our goats and don’t want to eat them, and the heavy mud on our land would make fiber goats very difficult to keep clean. So the Ranch opted for dairy goats, and began to make cheese. In 2009, after two years of learning and experimenting, D.J. got his cheesemaking license. |
 In 2011, he was joined by Carrie Pettit. Originally from Colorado, Carrie had been living in Utah and thought she wanted to grow plants. She started working at the ranch because she needed a job, but soon realized she loved the goats and was a natural at making cheese. She rapidly advanced to Production Manager, and now Partner. D.J. & Carrie expect to be married in September.
Now Jackrabbit Ranch serves three farmers markets in the area, and supplies several stores. We plan to grow gradually larger. But we don’t believe in shipping food all over the country, so there’s a limit to how big we want to be. We believe strongly in local food. It tastes better, it’s better for the environment, and it helps our local economy. We keep a garden, we “buy local” whenever we can, and we avoid foods flown in from far away. We have to eat– we love to eat– and we try to do it as responsibly as we can. |
 On our site you’ll find ideas & resources for buying local. You’ll also find recipes, resources, and information for making your own cheese. We love cheese, and hope you do, too! |
 This site is dedicated to Wind, our second goat. A mix of Alpine and Nigerian, she was squat and strong. She died in 2009 following a difficult pregnancy. She was the first goat we lost, and while she was not the last, the five-day “long night” is etched indelibly in our memories. Wind was a good friend & mother, and we miss her. |