The Farm
Our Practices
Small by choice. Careful by nature.
From the beginning, we made decisions that go against the logic of most modern food production: stay small, go slow, focus on quality.
Known by Name.
Our herd stays at around 200 animals so every buffalo gets the individual care it deserves.
By Hand, with Patience
Nearly everything we make requires more hands-on work — and that's exactly why we do it.
Not How Much, How Good.
Great food isn't measured by how much you can produce. It's measured by how much people enjoy sharing it.
"We sustainably raise water buffalo and produce exceptional farmstead dairy and meat products,
while reconnecting people with local agriculture and the pleasures of food made carefully."
Riverine Ranch Mission Statement
Stewardship
A Ranch Built to Last
Healthy animals depend on healthy land. When we found preserved farmland in the Musconetcong River Valley, we knew it offered more than a home for a growing herd. It offered an opportunity to build a farm that could remain a farm for generations.
We honor the trust placed in us by farming slowly, nurturing the land, and building something that gets better every year. Our buffalo graze pasture and consume hay grown for the herd. Manure is composted and returned to the fields, helping replenish the soil that feeds the next season's growth.
As it turns out, water buffalo are remarkably well suited to this landscape. They thrive in wet conditions, readily graze plants cattle often avoid, and have even participated in wetland restoration projects throughout New Jersey.
200
Acres farmed in Musconetcong Valley
20+
Years of careful, sustainable farming
Zero
Industrial shortcuts. Ever.
Community
Built by a Community That Believed in Us
More than twenty years in, Riverine Ranch is still learning, growing, and experimenting. We are continually exploring new cheeses, dairy products, and better ways to farm. We wouldn't be where we are today without the encouragement, guidance, and generosity of the people around us.
From the organizations that believed in our vision to the veteran farmers who generously shared their knowledge, every step of our journey has been shaped by a community willing to help us succeed. We are deeply grateful for their support and proud to recognize the many partners who continue to be part of the Riverine Ranch story.
How it Started
How Two New Yorkers Became Farmers
Courtney Foley always imagined marrying a farmer. Instead, she married Brian and turned him into one.
Raised in the same Long Island town, Brian and Courtney built careers, married, and settled into life in New York City. But Courtney's dream of open space, animals, and life closer to the land never dissappeared.
In 2004, Brian and Courtney purchased a small property in New Jersey and began experimenting with farming. A year later, the first water buffalo—a stud with Italian heritage—joined the farm, sparking a journey that led the couple to Campania, Italy, where they studied traditional water buffalo cheesemaking firsthand.
Today, Riverine Ranch remains one of only a handful of water buffalo farms in the United States, producing dairy and meat products directly from the animals they raise and the land they steward.
Brian and Courtney still know every buffalo by name. Riverine Ranch has grown, but the idea behind it hasn't changed: raise animals well, care for the land, and make food worth sharing.
Riverine Ranch began with a simple idea:
Know where your food comes from, raise animals with care, and make products worth gathering around.
