Ballerina Farm

Ballerina Farm is a farm in Kamas, Utah and the social media name of its owner, influencer Hannah Neeleman (born June 25, 1990), who posts almost daily videos on Instagram and TikTok about farm life with eight children. The farm's website sells beef, pork, baked goods, homewares and other products (some from the farm and some imported). In 2024, Madison Malone Kircher wrote in The New York Times that Ballerina Farm was "as much a brand as it is a person" and described it as "wholesome and bucolic."

Social media

By 2024, the Ballerina Farm social media accounts grew to more than 8.6 million followers on Instagram and 6.9 million on TikTok, an increase from the 200,000 Instagram followers it had in 2021. Hannah posts videos milking her cow named Tulip, cooking, wrangling children, drinking raw and unpasteurized milk, and tending to the farm. She frequently bakes bread in a green stove, named Agnes, which she found on Craigslist. Hannah often wears floral dresses and skirts, and her aesthetics have been compared to Little House on the Prairie. She has been called a tradwife, though Hannah said in 2024 that she wasn't familiar with the term.

On January 21, 2024, less than two weeks after giving birth to her eighth child, Hannah Neeleman competed in the international Mrs. World competition.

The New York Times wrote that Ballerina Farm was "simultaneously one of the most popular social media stars in the country and a lightning rod for criticism." Hannah Neeleman has been criticized for failing to publicly display the farm's hired employees and not acknowledging the family's financial privilege. Viewers have speculated that the family is probably not living off the profits of the farm and have pointed out that their home's stove, which Hannah says she purchased used, retails for about $20,000 and their property was listed for $2.75 million when they purchased it in 2018.

Daniel Neeleman posts on Instagram on the account @HogFathering. The account did a sponsored post for FedEx that showed Hannah mailing the farm's meat to Hawaii so that the family could eat it on vacation.

Farm operations

The farm is a 328-acre ranch that Hannah and Daniel Neeleman purchased in 2018. Hannah Neeleman lists herself as the farm's founder and chief executive.

In 2020, Hannah noted an uptick in online meat sales from the farm. Additionally, the farm's website sells products both from the farm and imported, including beef, pork, as well as baked goods, sourdough starter, homewares and flowers grown in Ecuador. In 2024, Hannah Neeleman said that Ballerina Farm planned to expand to add a dairy operation, a store, and a cafe.

Personal life

Hannah Neeleman
Born	Hannah Wright (1988-03-06) March 6, 1988 Springville, Utah, U.S.
Alma mater	Juilliard School
Occupation	Social media influencer
Spouse	Daniel Neeleman ​ (m. 2011)​
Children	8
Relatives	David Neeleman, father in law

Hannah Neeleman grew up in a Mormon family of nine children in Springville, Utah. Her family owned a flower shop. At the age of 14, she attended a Juilliard School summer ballet program. At 16, she received a scholarship to Brigham Young University’s theatre ballet program; she finished her university ballet studies at Juilliard School in New York City. Hannah met Daniel Neeleman, who is from Connecticut and studied at Brigham Young University, while she was in Utah over a Thanksgiving break in college. Daniel is the son of David Neeleman, who founded five airlines, including JetBlue, and led efforts to take TAP Air Portugal private. Daniel is also a Mormon, and grew up in a family of ten children. The couple got engaged after just three weeks. Hannah said that she is the first Juilliard undergraduate “in modern history” to be pregnant.

The couple spent several years living in Brazil for Daniel's corporate job as director of home security company Vigzul, which was founded by his father. Upon returning to the United States, Daniel attended business school at the University of Utah while serving on the board of a different security company. They spent three years looking for farmland and initially purchased a different farm in 2017. They then purchased Ballerina Farm in 2018.

Hannah Neeleman told The New York Times that the family hires farm workers, a personal assistant, a teacher to homeschool five school-aged children, and an occasional babysitter. Hannah and Daniel have eight children, three sons followed by five daughters. They are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Pageants

Hannah Neeleman competed in the Miss New York pageant while a Juilliard School ballet student. She has continued competing in pageants after getting married and having children with the Mrs. America competition, specifically for married women. She was crowned Mrs. Utah in 2021. In 2023, she competed at Mrs. South Dakota and was crowned Mrs. American (which is a separate pageant from Mrs. America, though both are run by Elaine Marmel, an 86-year-old who additionally heads the Mrs. World competition). Her answer to a question about female empowerment attracted attention from conservative media: “After I hold that newborn baby in my arms... the feeling of motherhood and bringing them to the earth is the most empowering feeling I have ever felt.”

Ten days after having her eighth child, Hannah traveled to Westgate Resort and Casino in Las Vegas to compete against the 37 other women in the Mrs. World beauty pageant. Her sister joined, along with her own tenth child, to watch Hannah's newborn while Hannah prepared. On the day of the competition, Hannah's parents, husband, and children attended the event and cheered with signs in the front row. Though Hannah made it through the first round, she did not progress to the top six.

External links

• Official website