Jazzma Quinn
Growing Community and Love at Troubadour Valley Farms
Photos and Story by Samantha Grant
"I'm a truck driver's daughter. I grew up talking to everyone."
-Jazzma Quinn
Jazzma's new calves suckle on her fingers while her horse Brutus watches. The calves are the newest addition to the dozens of animals living at Troubadour Valley Farms.
The Quinn's home at Troubadour Valley Farms in Glouster, Ohio. The Quinn's moved into the home in 2021 and have since been renovating it to support their growing family.
Soy bean fields on the Quinn's property. The Quinn's allow local farmers to farm their land and keep the crops if they give the Quinn's hay in return.
In 2021, Jazzma and her husband Ray, 28, purchased 118 acres of land in Glouster, Ohio and named it Troubadour Valley Farms. Jazzma recalls sitting at the edge of her property when they first bought the farm. As she sat in silence looking down at the valley she said, “it sounded like nature was singing.” She was always enamored with the idea of a troubadour, a poet-musician who focused on ideas of love and courtship. She always imagined a troubadour to be a traveling cowboy singing love songs and as the hills of her new home sang to her, she knew she had her name.
While both Jazzma and Ray were born and raised on farms just fifteen minutes from their current home, learning farming processes and working the land has still been a learning process. They work to learn a lot from other farmers in their area and Jazzma placed an extreme emphasis on wanting to do everything as sustainably as possible. The farm land on their property currently consists of mostly soy bean and hay fields. Jazzma has established relationships with local farmers, allowing them to farm her land and take any of the crops they want as long as Jazzma gets all of the hay she needs to feed her animals. When other farms are in need of hay, Jazzma donates what she can.
Jazzma holds her husband Ray's arm as they drive home from dinner. "He knows he loves me," Jazzma says.
Photos from Jazzma and Ray's wedding sit on the top of the Quinn's shelf with memorabilia from Ray's time in the military in the middle. Ray's liquor sits in a custom "Q" bottle on the middle shelf. Ray has collected various bottles from his time overseas with the military.
Ray and Jazzma have been married for just over four years and have been together for five. The pair met at a bar called The CI in Athens, Ohio. Ray told Jazzma the day they met that he was going to marry her. Her response was, “you’re going to regret that.” Ray is a veteran of the United States Military and for the first year of their relationship he was stationed in Japan. Three weeks after he returned home, he proposed to Jazzma.
Five months ago, in April, 2024, they became pregnant with their first child. Work on the farm slowed down a bit for Jazzma and what she describes as “nesting” began. Jazzma and Ray lovingly refer to their soon-to-be first born son, Rhiott, as their “bastard child.” They talk of their hopes for their child to be wild and free on the farm, always actively engaged in the natural world around him. They plan on homeschooling him as Jazzma stated, “have you seen those kids on their iPads these days? I am never giving him an iPad.”
Jazzma's niece, Lucy, stands on the fence watching as Jazzma works Brutus the horse.
Jazzma's niece, Lucy, hugs Daisy the foal.
Although Jazzma never saw herself becoming a mother, she has always been an important role model in the lives of the young people in her family. Her niece, Lucy, 11, visits the farm when she can and follows Jazzma around as she tends to all of the animals. Many of Jazzma’s nieces and nephews are not blood related, but children from the relatives of past relationships or extended families. If there is a kid who needs someone, Jazzma is there.
As an extremely involved member in her community, Jazzma wanted to share her farm with others and so decided to create an event called Family Farm Day. The farm day will take place in Oct, 2024 and will consist of programming for preschool aged children. Kids will have opportunities to gather chicken eggs, feed and pet the farm animals and learn about the work that goes into running a farm. Jazzma has always placed an emphasis on wanting to share what she has with others and give back to the community by providing hands on experiences for local youth.
The Quinn's barn at sunset.
A cow stands in a field at Troubadour Valley Farms.
Jazzma holds one of the chicks she bought on her way home from Rural King. Jazzma bought the chicks for her upcoming "Family Farm Day" to teach preschool age kids about how chickens grow and where eggs come from.
Jazzma has an immense love and passion for animals and their proper care. She served as an agent for the Athen’s County Humane Society for three years. Within this position she was responsible for responding to cases of animal abuse all throughout the county and removing animals from abusive environments. Although she is not in this position anymore, she is still extremely active on Facebook where she advocates for animal rights and updates the community on local animal abuse cases and related issues.
Many times, the animals Jazzma rescues stay with her on the farm. She now has four cats, four dogs, eight cows, three horses, three pigs, six goats, two turkeys, and countless chickens. She never planned on having turkeys but when she saw a turkey at the local farm store looking sickly, she had to buy it and try to save it. When buying game birds, it is common that you will have to buy more than one at a time. Jazzma bought three and had the sick turkey by her side in the car on the way home. The turkey died in her lap that night as she describes, “I had to pull over when the turkey died on my lap. I just started crying.” The other two turkeys still live on her farm.
Smalls the kid stands in the Quinn's barn. The Quinn's have six goats, four cats, four dogs, eight cows, three horses, three pigs, two turkeys, and countless chickens.
Daisy the foal sticks her head out of the Quinn's barn.
Jazzma feeds her horse Brutus a treat and gives him a kiss. "I think he knows how pretty he is," Jazzma says.
Jazzma chats with farmer Lisa Gordon on Lisa's property in Cambridge, OH. Jazzma just purchased three new calves from Lisa.
As Jazzma continues to grow her farm and prepare for Family Farm Day, she continues to take in more animals. She traveled to Cambridge, Ohio to meet farmer Lisa Gordon and purchase a calf; she left the farm having purchased three claves. When responding to Ray’s questioning of why she would buy three calves when they only needed one she said, “babe, you know I can never say no to a cute face.”
Ray stands looking out the front door watching the rain. This is the first rain they have seen in weeks.
Jazzma is due to give birth in Feb, 2025 and often stresses about all of the things that need to be done before the baby arrives. The nursery, the baby shower, the delivery. She plans on having a home birth with a midwife that will take place right in the middle of her dining room in the spot where their dog Big Hank always lays under the dining room table. Jazzma and Ray continue to jokingly look forward to welcoming their new “farm hand” into the world.
Jazzma's dog, Big Hank, rests under the dining room table by her feet. In February, Jazzma plans to have a home birth that will take place in the spot Big Hank always lies.
Jazzma rests on her front porch with her kitten, Link. With pregnancy, Jazzma has had to take breaks from working more often.
The top floor of the Quinn's home.