Ballentine Farm is run by three generations of farmers:

Farmer Mike (father to Debbie, grandfather to Sarah,) was raised on a dairy farm in the Catskill mountains of New York.  True to his Portuguese hertiage, the Costa family farm was completely self sufficient.  They raised dairy cows, draft horses, chickens and pigs.  The family grew all of their own vegetables and fruits, including grapes, which they used to make wine.  They also made their own maple syrup, a family tradition still continued today by the Costa family in New York.

After graduating highschool, farmer Mike was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers to play in the minor leagues.  He played for a season until his knees were in need of replacement surgery.  Since baseball wasn't considered a credible career in the 1950's by his father, he wasn't about justify paying for his knee surgery.  Instead, Mike was enlisted in the army and fought in the Korean War, spending time in Korea, Japan and Okinowa.  Later, while stationed in Camp Morganfield, Kentucky, he met his wife and was married in 1954.

Following the war, Mike became a foreman for Lane Construction, where he would work his way up to Project Manager, until his retirement in 1996.  His last job was the Dulles Greenway. 

Today Farmer Mike enjoys his time helping on the farm and being with his family.  He re-lives his childhood farming days with a sensational view of the Blue Ridge Mountains!

Debbie Ballentine has been an educator for over 20 years.  She first began teaching at our Lady of Victory in DC, following graduation from Hood College.  After taking five years off while having her children, she returned to teaching and became an educator for Fairfax County Public Schools.  Debbie was nominated for Teacher of the Year in 2003, during her time at Cub Run Elementary School, in Centreville.  Her last four years of teaching were spent in a Title 1 setting, at McNair Elementary, in Herndon.  Debbie met the challenge of engaging learners of all different cultures and backgrounds by encouraging as much hands on education as possible.  She realized how much more her students were able to retain when their learning was conducted by memorable, real life learning experiences. 

In 2008, Debbie decided to put this theory into action as she boldly broke ground at her home in Waterford, Virginia and established Ballentine Farm educational center.  Her mission was to offer this same hands-on, meaningful learning experience to learners of all ages, making education relevant and significant, with a focus on rural farming life and programs that are aligned with the Standards of Learning Virginia assessments. 

Sarah Ballentine wears many hats these days...field trip educator and assistant by day and riding instructor by evening, it's all in a day's work on the farm and there's never a dull moment! 

True to form, Sarah took the road less traveled from an early age by becoming the first family member to enter the equestrian arena.  Persistence finally wore her parents down and they lovingly allowed her to pursue her passion at the age of 6, which continued throughout highschool competitively, in hunter jumpers.

Sarah took a break from riding as she survived four different Virginia state colleges.  After graduating from Bridgewater College, Sarah completed her student teaching at Banneker Elementary, for LCPS.  She spent time teaching in kindergarten and even dabbled in government subcontractor work for a year as she attempted to procure a full time teaching position. 

She then began teaching second grade at McNair Elementary School, in Herndon, Va.  Dedicated to her work and inspired by some amazing teachers, Sarah continues to share the same vision of the beauty and benefit of hands on instruction for all learners. 

Today, Sarah counts herself lucky to have found a job that allows her to combine all of her true passions: teaching, horses & art!