Melwood Farm is a small farm located in Crown City, Ohio on the banks of the Ohio River. The farm was established by Chris and Crystal Criswell in 2018. Our farm bears the namesake of Melwood Criswell, a Veteran of World War II. Since purchasing the property, we have built a home and a sheep barn, renovated the shop to include a goat barn, added fencing, and cleared away years of uncontrolled vines and briars. In addition to our 14.5 acres, we lease the adjoining pasture from our neighbor, so that our herd has access to over 15 acres of pasture and another 15 of woodlands. Each year, the pastures and woodlands improve because of our direct efforts at clearing underbrush and the managed grazing of our animals.
What We Do
We raise heritage St. Croix Hair Sheep, Myotonic (Fainting) Goats, and poultry. All our animals benefit from rotated pastures, orchards, and woodlands that are free of chemicals. Our mission is to be economically and environmentally responsible while raising hardy, productive, heritage breed livestock. We use conservation breeding methods and performance-based selection so that our stock are the best we can produce.
Involvement in the Heritage Breed Preservation Movement
We are active members of the St. Croix Hair Sheep Breeders, Inc., the Myotonic Goat Registry, the Livestock Conservancy, and the St. Croix Hair Sheep International Association. The Livestock Conservancy chose our farm for a micro-grant award in 2021. Crystal was elected to serve on the Board of Directors with the St. Croix Hair Sheep Breeders, Inc. in 2022. We love what we do, enjoy spending time with our beautiful animals, and take pride in our products.
We invite you to check out the news section for tips and events, and read about our sheep and goats. Be sure to follow us on Facebook. We enjoy having scheduled visitors on the farm so don’t be shy about contacting us to satisfy your need to snuggle a goat, collect your own eggs, or just chat about heritage livestock, healthy food, and farm living.