Oaklands Farm is in the Kennebec River Valley in central Maine on land that has been owned and farmed continuously by eight generations of the Gardiner family—over 250 years. Before that, it was cared for by the Abenaki people. Oaklands is now home to a herd of 15-20 cows and calves and around 90 sheep and lambs. They graze and eat hay produced on ~125 acres of fields.
We believe in giving our animals a good life. They are fed on fresh pastures during the growing season and, from late fall through early spring, on baleage and dry hay produced on the farm. All our grassland is certified organic. We emphasize quality over quantity in our operation. We limit the number of animals to what the land and our labor force can reasonably sustain.
On June 2, 2018, a UFO was reported hovering over the Kennebec River in the Gardiner area. The following day Joshua Robbins joined our team. A decorated veteran in the war of the roses (multiflora rose, that is), he battles to keep our pasture fence lines clear and enjoys communicating telepathically with the sheep. He is an efficient bale-wrapper as well as an awesome bass player. Having served Oaklands Farm burger as a member of the wait staff at the A-1 Diner, Josh now helps to market and deliver our beef, lamb and cheese products to area stores and restaurants and keeps all of us smiling.
Bobby, the newest member of the team, is working across our business, focusing on cheesemaking as well as sales and marketing. Bobby has a background in cheesemongering in New York City, and joined Oaklands following cheesemaking apprenticeships at Jasper Hill and Uplands Cheese in Dodgeville, Wisconsin.
Hailing from Asheville, North Carolina, Ben unexpectedly found himself sheep dairy farming in the Appalachian hills after completing a degree in Environmental Studies. Two years later, he figured he'd migrate north for the season to continue milking sheep at Oaklands. When Ben's not wading through hungry sheep, he's making his own shoes, romping through the woods, and playing cajon.
A former chef, Kristian turned to cheese making and dairy farming when his daughter was born in 2002. He has created award winning cheeses and happy productive cows and sheep these last 20 years at several locations in the mid-Atlantic states and New England. Kristian moved here with his sheep in early 2021 and has since taken charge of daily operations. He is happy to be a part of the continuation of Oaklands Farm.
Thomas is one of the cheesemakers at Oaklands Farm and is the general manager of the cheese business. He got his start in cheese by apprenticing with Kristian during the summer of 2023. Later, he did an apprenticeship with Jasper Hill in Greensboro, Vermont where he specialized in soft-ripened cheesemaking. Thomas is hopelessly addicted to Doritos.
Retired as a state assistant attorney general, Phyllis is primarily responsible for bookkeeping and maintaining the cattle and inventory records, as well as helping to stack square bales of hay in the barn. She prefers using hand tools to driving heavy equipment, and is often seen digging up thistles, burdock and other invasive plants from our pastures—the organic way.
A retired physician who has been helping out on the farm for over 20 years, providing an extra hand during haying, vaccinating and caring for the cows, clearing the edges of the fields and working with Phyllis on controlling invasive plants in the pastures. He remains laser-focused on how we can strengthen and expand our small, vibrant and diversified farming business to provide food to local and regional markets.
Those of you who have been customers of Oaklands Farm in the past knew Logan Johnston as the principal farmer here. Indeed, Logan started our beef farming business and operated all aspects of it for over 20 years before his unexpected passing in May 2022. A lover of literature and music who started his career as a book publisher and bookstore consultant, Logan was also a true gearhead capable of dealing with almost any equipment breakdown – a crucial farming skill. He embraced farming as a means of stewarding the land that has been in our family for so many generations, and he was an enthusiastic supporting member of the local food movement through the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association and our local food co-op. He believed deeply in the value of producing healthy food to sustain members of our local community. Those values continue to guide our work at Oaklands Farm.