A Wiscasset farm has changed hands, with the new owners vowing to preserve it as a working farm.

Chris and Terry Baldwin, along with their daughter and son-in-law Lindsay and Ryan Esbjerg, bought the property on April 10 from the Maine Farmland Trust. As part of the sale, the land is under an agricultural conservation easement, ensuring it remains farmland.

The previous owner, Morris Farm Trust, encouraged the Maine Farmland Trust to purchase the property in early 2025 before the restrictive covenant expired, which prevented development projects for different uses other than farmland.

“The local enthusiasm and support toward our efforts to keep Morris Farm in active agriculture really goes to show how much local farms matter in our communities,” said Brett Sykes, co-director of farmland production at Maine Farmland Trust.

It will be the first farm that the Baldwin and Esbjerg families have owned, and they plan on financially sustaining the farm, known as The Commons at Morris Farm, through a combination of community partnerships with other farmers in the area to sell local products online and in person at the farm stand. The plan is to support the farm by partnering with other local farmers to sell goods online and at the farm stand.

An online farm stand through the WhatNot website is already open where people can buy Maine-sourced products from businesses like Ledgeway Farm Goat Milk Soap in Pittston, Coastal Maine Popcorn Co. in Boothbay Harbor, The Milkhouse Farm and Dairy in Monmouth, Sparkplug Farm in Leeds, and Mom’s Organic Munchies in Brunswick, said Ryan Esbjerg.

The Commons at Morris Farm plans to open an in-person farm stand in the coming weeks, stocked with Maine farm products that are also available on the online store. The Baldwin and Esbjerg families are determining what crops and livestock they’ll produce.

The retail side of The Commons at Morris Farm will help sustain the farm without full reliance on just growing crops. Produce alone may not generate enough income to keep the doors open in the event of a bad harvest or changing climate, said Terry Baldwin.

On the agricultural side, The Commons at Morris Farm is tapping into resources available through the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, Maine Farmland Trust, and the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Baldwin said. Another network the Baldwins have been turning to is board members from the Morris Farm Trust and local farmers like Straw’s Farm in Newcastle, which has offered its pastures for hay and grazing.

In the coming weeks, they plan to have sheep and cattle graze in the two large pastures, which will also produce hay. The money made from the online and in-person farm stand will go toward maintenance for the water system and updating the farm’s heating.

“The focus for me is spending time getting to know the people who have had a lot of experience with the farm to learn everything I can about the role that it has had in the community,” Baldwin said.

The Baldwins and Esbjergs want Morris Farm to continue to be a hub for collaboration, learning, innovation and incubation. One of the major changes for Morris Farm will be its financing, as it will not operate as a nonprofit that relies on fundraising and donations, according to Baldwin.

A community solar project called Morris Farm Community Solar, a nonprofit association, leases an acre, Baldwin said. The barn’s roof has about 60 solar panels, which generates more electricity than is needed for the farm at this time.

“We got a specific game plan that allows us to regenerate Morris Farm into what it was a very long time ago, and then get really excited about doing these collaborative events with people in the community,” Esbjerg said.

Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the relationships between the Baldwins andEsbjergs. The Baldwins are the parents of Lindsay Esbjerg and Ryan Esbjerg is their son-in-law.

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