Butch and Lorna Tobin are the founders of Tobin Farms. They became interested in raising Red Deer in the late 80’s after reading an article in the Daily News about a Red Deer farm in New Limerick, Maine. The owner of the farm had purchased 100 deer from Fundy Red Deer Farm in New Brunswick, Canada. The original 4,000 Red Deer at Fundy were flown 1,000 at a time from New Zealand to Nova Scotia, and trucked to Cambridge Narrows, New Brunswick. A short while after reading the article, Butch Tobin visited the farm in New Brunswick.

During his visit, he learned about velvet antler – a natural alternative supplement produced from Red Deer and Elk antlers that the Chinese and Koreans have been using for over two thousand years. At the time, there wasn’t anyone processing velvet antler in the United States. 

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After making several visits to the farm in New Brunswick, Butch and Lorna decided to open a Red Deer farm in Mapleton, Maine. They started the farm by purchasing 3 Red Deer from the farm in New Brunswick. Over a period of time, Tobin Farms deer herd grew to 78 animals. They had one breeding stag named Dean who went on to become the face of the Tobin Farms brand. 

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The velvet antler processing began about 2 years after starting the farm. Butch called the farm manager (a New Zealander) at Fundy Red Deer Farm and asked him if he would bring back some bottles of velvet antler from New Zealand on his next trip. Weeks later, Butch asked him… “Would it make sense if we process velvet antler because there was no one processing it in the United States?” His response, in his New Zealand accent was, “You’re bloody right, mate!”

Thus, was the beginning of Tobin Farms Velvet Antler

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Most of our sales are by word-of-mouth; people who have heard from family members, friends, and co-workers, on how velvet antler has helped them. It is important to us that we process our supplements under one roof to ensure quality control.

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Today, we have moved our operations to Southern Wisconsin

In 2022, elk farmers Jade and Camryn Noble decided to take the Tobin Farms name and continue the legacy. They built a new processing facility and moved all of Tobin Farm's equipment from Maine to Wisconsin. Tobin Farms continues to process velvet antler capsules, powder and slices the same way it has since the beginning. 

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Message to our customers:

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Butch Tobin was a trailblazer, innovator, and the original velvet antler processor in the USA. We hope we can use the foundation that was built, and expand the market here for quality velvet antler products. We are passionate about elk farming and the health benefits of velvet antler. We look forward to meeting and getting to know all the current and future customers. If you have questions, reach out over phone or email anytime. 

-Jade Noble (Owner)