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Lauren and Ben Denny took a leap of faith when they moved from their home in Idaho to their family’s 30 year old land in McAlester, Oklahoma. The land was seven generations old, but had never been used, so the two started Simple Country Ranch in 2020 and became first generation ranchers and farmers.
The two started documenting their progress online and discovered a community interested in what they were working on. Lauren saw this opportunity to use her teaching background and engage with students and families in the community, while also learning from other ranchers and farmers across the United States! Through their farmer friends and hard work, the Denny’s have learned how to use their Kubota RTV, Kubota tractor, baler, drum cutter and rake.
Simple Country Ranch went from one chicken to 30, and they’ve also added: lambs, mini horses, mini donkeys, horses, alpacas, pasture raised pigs, goats, nigerian pygmy goats, babydoll sheep and highland cows. Kids that visit Simple Country Ranch love taking pictures with the animals and getting to help feed them.
For Lauren, the community involved in Simple Country Ranch is her favorite part of being a rancher. Simple Country Ranch offers family fun for the surrounding community, as well as themed camp days for kids! They’ve had Easter events, food vendors, farmer’s markets, a fall festival, pumpkin launching, Christmas events and more!
She also runs the Simply Stained Shop, a farmhouse goods store that makes custom creations and ships them across the nation. The success of the Simply Stained Shop lets Lauren put more money into Simple Country Ranch and continue building opportunities for the community. Lauren even wrote a book about Winston, their curious farm dog, who investigates why the apples are missing out of their tree. The book is based entirely on real events and includes QR codes for interactive storytelling.
Future projects for Simple Country Ranch include: building a podcast, creating educational workshops with hands-on experience, networking with more ranchers and farmers and continuing to show people the joys and excitement of ranching and farming.
