Twisted Oaks

Who we are

Mark & Rebekah Ahrens

We are a small family farm near Milan, IL, raising Corriedale sheep and Kiko goats.

Located on a portion of Rebekah's family's farm, sheep and goats roam the rolling hills that make up Twisted Oaks. We aim to balance the needs of our land with the needs of our animals, using grazing to restore the oak savanna that once thrived here. In past years, our farm was home to diverse farm animals, grazing the many acres of highly erodable land. Along with many farms in America, in the 1980s the hills were abandoned and livestock sold, including the original Corriedale sheep flock that once roamed our acres. More recently, Rebekah helped raise goats with her father until he passed in 2021. Now, Mark and Rebekah are raising livestock to restore the environment and steward the land as best they can.

After years of dreaming, we returned Corriedale sheep to our farm in fall of 2020 with just 6 ewes from central Illinois. Corriedales provide a quality meat as well as fine fleece for wool production. Our growing flock spends most of the year rotationally grazing diverse greens and growing some of the most sustainable meat and fiber around.

In fall 2023, we brought 15 Kiko does back to the farm to restart our herd of goats. Lovingly called the conservation crew, these goats will graze the brush in our overgrown woods, helping return sunlight to the forest floor.