ABOUT US

Winter Hill Farm is located about 5 miles northwest of Freeport Village. The farmstead is located on a picturesque hilltop, surrounded by 55 acres of gently rolling pasture and mixed forest. The original portion of the farmhouse was built in the 1820s, and the historical wagon roads, stone walls and forest growth and field patterns reveal that the area was likely cleared for sheep grazing in the early 19th century. Portions of the land have been reforested over time, while prime pasture has remained open and productive to the present day.

Jim Stampone purchased the land in the mid-1970s and built a homestead based on the values of the back to the land movement. In the early 2000s, Jim and his wife Kate LeRoyer became dedicated to preserving rare-breed Randall Lineback cattle. Together they built a small milking herd and farmstead creamery at Winter Hill. Upon their retirement in 2011, Winter Hill Farm was purchased by two families dedicated to the preservation of farmland in Midcoast Maine. Thanks to Jim and Kate’s vision and the hard work and dedication of the Freeport Conservation Trust, Winter Hill Farm is now permanently protected with an agricultural easement.

Today Winter Hill is managed by Steve Burger and Sarah Wiederkehr, who live in the farmhouse with their two children, Isaac and Calla, and their dogs Jasper and Paco and a small army of farm cats. There is also a small crew of full and part-time employees whose hard work, care and dedication keep everything going.

The Team

Steve Burger

Steve grew up in rural northeast Missouri, where his favorite childhood activity was to follow his grandfather and uncles through their workdays on a large hog, cattle and grain producing farm. From a young age he appreciated the hard work that farming requires, and valued the idea that such work produces the food that every person relies on. While studying English in college, Steve took a part-time job on a small farm that grew organic produce for local restaurants and farmer’s markets. This introduction to a different way of farming- a way of farming that embraced ecological sustainability and connected directly with consumers was a wake-up call. Since that first experience on a small organic farm in northern Illinois, Steve has grown produce in New Hampshire, fruit in Colorado, taught children about food and agriculture in California, and for six years prior to his arrival at Winter Hill Farm, managed livestock operations at Hidden Villa Ranch in Los Altos Hills, California. Few things excite Steve more than a springtime field with a beautiful stand of grass!

Sarah Wiederkehr

Sarah moved to Maine as a teenager, but left for college a few short years later. After receiving a BS in Horticulture and Agronomy from the University of New Hampshire, she took a bus to California. Having only experienced the farms of New England, Sarah wanted to see and learn about farming in the Central Valley- the vegetable, fruit and nut basket of the US. Sarah worked for the USDA as a researcher in walnut orchards as well as a technician in a soil biogeochemistry lab before deciding to pursue degrees from the University of California, Davis, in International Agricultural Development and Integrated Pest Management. In her 4th year of graduate studies, Sarah started a small diversified CSA and educational farm just outside of Davis. After three years of farming that land, Sarah purchased some goats from a guy named Steve Burger. Shortly thereafter, Sarah took a job managing the 11 acre urban education farm, Full Circle in Sunnyvale, CA, to be closer to Steve. After their marriage in 2008, Sarah accepted a job at Stanford University as the school's first “farm educator,” managing a small farm and teaching courses in sustainable food systems and organic farming. It was a tough job to leave, but Sarah was thrilled to be back in Maine and close to her family after 17 years away. Sarah’s first love has always been plants, but she also enjoys raising poultry, experimenting with cheese making, managing the farmers' markets, helping out with all the administrative aspects of the farm, and spending time with her kids.

The rest of the Team

Our full and part-time employees are the heart of our business. Their hard work, patience, humor, flexibility and resilience are what makes our business a success, and we are forever grateful for that. And let’s not forget to say thanks to our ever-hungry pigs who eat the whey from our cheesemaking, our pups, farm cats & chickens who provide endless farm antics, and the land itself for providing its bounty, always!