When a third-generation farming family in Wisconsin’s Ozaukee County decided to sell its cow dairy, Lynde Uihlein agreed to buy. She had been actively working on restoration and land preservation in the township of Port Washington for many years and saw an opportunity to experiment with a sustainable model of farming in the declining agricultural region of SE Wisconsin, while also designing a scaled farming model that could remain viable in the future.

While Lynde admires goats and consumes quantities of goat cheese, her expertise lies elsewhere, and she converted the existing farm from cows to goats with the help of others far more knowledgeable than she: Brent Foat, Blakesville Dairy Manager, and Juli Kaufmann, Business Manager, are her partners, as well as others who lend their labor and expertise. 

A farmstead creamery was the ultimate goal. Stabilizing the dairy business was necessarily the first priority, and the first 6 years of operation focused on converting the facilities and building the goat herd which is composed largely of Saanens.  Once the dairy was established, plans were initiated for the building of Blakesville Creamery on-site, a farmstead creamery using milk directly from the goats at Blakesville Dairy.  Veronica Pedraza, an experienced and accomplished cheesemaker, joined the team and demonstrated her expertise with both creamery design and product development. Blakesville Creamery cheeses are now available in a variety of wholesale and retail outlets across the United States, as well as select cheeses available for sale online.

Blakesville Dairy Farm and Creamery complement Lynde’s longstanding community endeavors around thoughtful land use and environmental protection. Her philanthropy can best be described as “integrated giving,” evidenced in the ecological thread that weaves through several organizations she supports that address the climate crisis.  The Brico Fund, founded in 1990, supports a range of environmental and societal causes today, with a primary interest in freshwater resources. An initial gift to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee resulted in the creation of the Center for Water Policy at the School of Freshwater Science.  Additional recipients of Brico funding include the Center for Plant Conservation, the American Bird Conservancy, and the Western Great Lakes Bird and Bat Observatory.

Today Lynde’s primary focus is Afterglow Farm, a family property adjacent to the Blakesville Dairy. Planning has been initiated to assure that Afterglow Farm can be sustained for generations to come.  “As Afterglow Farm evolves, we become more concerned and active in habitat and species protection. We have ongoing amphibian and herp protection programs. Our avian activities have been expanding, and with the addition of a Motus tower monitoring migrating bird species, we can add some support to the dwindling avian populations.”