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51Ʒ�� nutrition students received a hands-on, career-ready lesson on sustainable goat-and-sheep dairy farming on April 14, thanks to Assistant Clinical Professor Emily Estell, M.P.H., RDN, LD, who knew holding day-old baby sheep and goats would get her students’ attention.

And it did.

It was the third time Estell partnered with the owners of in Alfred, Maine, to show students how a local farmer works to support healthier food sources and a healthier planet. There, seven of Estell's students got an intimate look at the inner workings of the farm on a private tour led by one of the farm's owners.

For senior Chantal Cyr (Nutrition, ’26), it was an eye-opening experience she plans to carry with her as she considers a future career that could combine farming and sustainable growing practices with hospitality, notably her pursuit of owning a farm-to-table restaurant. 

“This (experience) showed how important it is to support local growers; other businesses in Maine that had goats and sheep have been forced to close because of our economy and the lack of support,” Cyr said. “These animals are getting amazing lives, the quality is unmatched, (and) so is the quality of the milk. 

“Even though we pay a little more (for the cheese), it's worth it because it's supporting this economy, it's supporting the health of the animals,” she added. “It's all so important."

The small farm was founded by Ingrid Claesson and Edward Sabatini in 2012. Estell's class visited in April when the barnyard had recently become home to 35 newly born lambs and 35 goat kids — with more on the way.

"When we're done, we expect to have 120 baby lambs and goats," Claesson told the class.

Claesson and Sabatini recently expanded the barn to provide more modern accommodations for milking and cheese-making, helping grow what is now the only goat-and-sheep dairy farm of its kind in Maine and one of only a few in New England.

Claesson also invited students into the back pens to handle the animals, encouraging them to pick up any baby goat or lamb they saw because what the farm hands called the “struggle snuggle” was helpful for socializing the baby animals. 

“We want to socialize them, so they are easy to catch when we sell them to other farms,” Claesson shared.

The farm's attention to detail extends to soil health, as well. During the tour, Claesson explained how "healthy dirt" produces better pasture, a philosophy she contrasted with U.S. food systems dominated by five major meat packers.

It's a lesson Estell intentionally provides to her nutrition students in the Westbrook College of Health Professions, especially as the spring semester comes to a close.

"We learn about our industrial food systems in class, and it can be disheartening. It's important for the students to see people who are doing caring work in sustainable farming systems,” she said. “I try to end things with hope."