Ballerina Farm’s Hannah Neeleman defends decision to stop selling raw milk amid scrutiny

11 February 2026

Hannah Neeleman. Credit : Hannah Neeleman/Instagram (2)

Hannah Neeleman, the lifestyle influencer behind the wildly popular Ballerina Farm social media brand, has taken to her platforms to clarify her family’s recent decision to halt sales of raw milk from their Utah dairy and push back against reports suggesting the business had been forced to shut down over health concerns. Millions of followers around the globe were drawn into a swirl of headlines and speculation after a local news outlet reported that routine testing last summer had found elevated levels of coliform bacteria in samples of the unpasteurized milk offered by the farm, leading to the decision to pause sales. The ensuing conversations about food safety, influencer responsibility and the commercial realities of life on their homestead have put Neeleman at the center of a complex public moment that she felt compelled to address directly.

In a new video shared on Instagram and TikTok, Neeleman explained that the farm’s raw milk business was never shut down by regulators and that there were never any products formally recalled due to safety violations. Instead, she said, the choice to discontinue raw milk sales in August 2025 was a deliberate business decision rather than a forced closure. She told her audience that after weighing the economics and labor involved in producing and testing unpasteurized dairy against the demand and profitability of other products, the family concluded that it made more sense to focus on items like pasteurized milk and other Ballerina Farm offerings that already formed the bulk of their retail sales.

The Neelemans operate Ballerina Farm as both a real working dairy and a lifestyle brand, sharing videos of homesteading life, family meals and farm-to-table living with tens of millions of followers online. Known for their idyllic depictions of life on their 328-acre property in Kamas, Utah, the couple has built a retail business that includes frozen meats, pantry staples, baked goods, kitchenware and other products tied to the image they have cultivated. The raw milk initiative was part of an expansion that included opening physical Ballerina Farm stores in the region, but the demands of producing and selling unpasteurized dairy proved more challenging than anticipated, Nieeleman said in her statement.

Health officials in Utah require regular testing of raw milk products to ensure they meet safety standards, with coliform bacteria serving as one indicator of possible contamination. According to local records, the late spring and early summer testing that sparked concern did find bacteria levels above typical limits, a reality that prompted the farm to summarize the raw milk venture as “economically inefficient” and discontinue it voluntarily. Neeleman emphasized that any raw milk that did not meet regulatory or industry standards was never sold to customers and was responsibly discarded, noting that the farm switched fully to pasteurized dairy products later in 2025.

Despite her explanation, the episode reignited ongoing debates about raw milk safety and how lifestyle influencers translate online popularity into commercial enterprises. Raw milk has been a controversial product for years because it lacks the pasteurization process that kills harmful bacteria, and public health authorities have long cautioned consumers about the risks associated with unpasteurized dairy. Supporters of raw milk often tout its perceived benefits, while critics point to outbreaks and illnesses linked to contamination as reasons to avoid it. In Ballerina Farm’s case, even though the company maintained that its products had passed the required tests at the time they were sold, the conversation around safety standards and influencer-led food brands quickly gained traction.

Neeleman’s response also reflected a broader trend in influencer culture, where creators who build lifestyles around traditional, agricultural or artisanal motifs are increasingly faced with scrutiny when their business practices intersect with public health or regulatory frameworks. Followers may be drawn to curated portrayals of homesteading, but the realities of food production particularly dairy involve rigorous standards and complexities that extend beyond the camera-ready images often seen on social platforms. This dynamic has led some observers to question whether social media fame always translates smoothly into responsible food business operations, and whether influencers have a duty to engage transparently with their audiences about such challenges.

For her part, Neeleman encouraged her followers to focus on the farm’s entire range of products and offerings rather than interpreting the raw milk decision as evidence of wrongdoing or health violations. She pointed out that the farm continues to operate fully, selling pasteurized dairy products and hosting tours of their dairy facilities, and that the choice to change course on raw milk had been informed by both economic and operational realities rather than regulatory compulsion. Her comments underscored a desire to steer the narrative toward the business nature of the decision and away from sensationalized headlines suggesting a recall or forced shutdown.

The response among fans and critics has been mixed. Some viewers applauded her transparency and appreciated the behind-the-scenes look at the challenges of rural entrepreneurship, while others remained wary of the raw milk controversy and questioned whether the explanation sufficiently addressed public health concerns. The discussion has also prompted broader reflection on how influencers balance authenticity with commercial interests, and how audiences interpret the real-world implications of content that originates as aesthetic lifestyle entertainment.

As Ballerina Farm moves forward, Neeleman’s explanation may have clarified one chapter in the raw milk story, but it has also highlighted how social media fame can amplify business decisions and turn them into national conversations about safety, trust and the evolving relationship between creators and their audiences. For many, the incident serves as a reminder that curated farm life online can intersect unexpectedly with regulatory realities and public health debates in the real world.