Meet the People

Jude Sabot – Owner
Jude passed away peacefully on Sept. 19, 2023. Her many contributions to building and running Cricket Creek Farm will always be remembered. Read her obituary to learn a bit more about our Jude.
Jude moved to Williamstown with her husband and 4 children after living in England for 4 years, in Tanzania for 2 years and Washington DC for 10 years. While it was never in her life plan to be a farm owner/ manager and cheese maker, she found the challenge and the adventure very rewarding– and fun! She enjoyed working with our great group of employees and interns and interacting with customers and community.  Her passions were listening to music, being outside as much as possible, learning a new language, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

Topher Sabot – Owner/Head Farmer
Topher grew up in Williamstown on Oblong Rd, attending Mt. Greylock High School, and then Williams College. After several years out west, Topher returned to help manage Cricket Creek Farm and took over daily operations in 2009. Topher oversees all aspects of the business, but focuses his attention mostly on the dairy herd – cow health, breeding, forage etc. Topher is also the editor of FasterSkier.com, an online news source for Nordic Skiing. Topher loves the rolling hills, forests and fields of Williamstown, and when not working on the farm, can be found running or biking, hanging with his wife Jen and children, Charlie, Jasper, and Annabelle.

Michelle Johnson – Farm Manager
Michelle grew up on the Jersey Shore and graduated Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, IN with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. She spent 20 years working in NYC at Deloitte & Touche LLP in their Audit & Assurance practice and National Office. Right before the pandemic, Michelle moved to Williamstown and soon discovered Cricket Creek Farm, a short commute from her home. Her relationship with the farm began with volunteering a couple days a week to feed the calves and pigs and then she couldn’t stay away! She found all the work at the farm and what it takes to run everything very intriguing. Her curiosity naturally evolved into helping oversee all aspects of livestock management with Topher, strategizing with other farm team members, and providing support to the business operations. Michelle’s favorite animals on the farm are the beef herd and the farm’s dairy bull, Wallembert. Her favorite cheeses are Maggie’s Reserve and Maggie in the Middle.

Elayne Murphy – Creamery & Operations Assistant

Anna Halpin-Healy – Business Advisor
Anna “half” grew up in Williamstown — attending Williamstown Elementary for 4th grade and spending weekends and summers here for the last 20+ years. Her first job in high school was at a mom & pop sandwich shop in the New York City neighborhood of Morningside Heights and she’s been hooked on building community through sharing good food ever since. Anna was completing her MBA at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst’s Isenberg School of Management when she joined our team in April 2021. She doesn’t milk cows and she doesn’t make cheese, but most everything else involved in making this business run has Anna’s hand in it in some way. She has completed various CCF farm badges including Piglet Catching (pictured here), Basic Herding & Cattle Movement, and Calving Supervising. The heifers are her favorite animal crew on the farm and her favorite cheese is Maggie’s Reserve.
After managing operations at the farm for 4+ years, Anna has transitioned to a new role as Finance Specialist at the Franklin County Community Development Corporation. She continues to serve in an advisory capacity for the farm.