The Mitchell Family, Left to right: Lance, Farryn, Caine, Freya, Gayle, and Quinn
Dream in Progress Hard work and family effort has made a lifelong dream a reality for the Mitchell family -By Rose Morian
property was beside Lance’s parents, and finally, everything fell into place. very person has a dream; ask any child what they dream Lance and Gayle started milking in 1995 in a double-three pit of being one day and they always have an answer. Often these parlor that was built in 1972. They raised three children on the dreams change as we grow, and unfortunately sometimes they farm, Chase, Quinn, and Caine, who are all three graduates of are beaten into submission or squelched to the point that we Penn State University. While Chase and his family (wife, Virginia hardly remember what they were. But, when you foster a dream and children Romy and Griffin) have made a home in Kennett and don’t give up, even when nothing seems to be happening, Square, PA where he works at Walmoore Holsteins, Caine and when you keep pursuing that dream, good things start to Quinn are still involved at Mitch-Hill. The boys worked at the happen, in you as well as around you. That’s how the Mitchell Penn State Dairy Barns and were active in the Dairy Science Club family, owners and operators of Mitch-Hill Dairy and Creamery and Quinn was an intern at Berkey Creamery and in Venus, PA are living their dreams as they a member of the Dairy Foods Judging Team. Quinn After close to 15 years of come to fruition. graduated with a Food Science major to prepare her ups, downs, and almost, Lance and Gayle Mitchell knew from the for the start of their own creamery. Caine worked as beginning that they wanted to bottle their the Mitchell Family found a route truck driver for a few year and then stepped own milk, but the road would turn out to a new path through which away to focus on the creamery. Nearly a decade be even longer than they expected. After to pursue their dream. passed until the creamery finally got started. “That’s graduating from Penn State University, how close we were at that time.” Gayle explained. Lance went to work at a 500-cow dairy on the east coast. It was Much like with purchasing a farm, they got close several times, a learning experience, and helped shape the dream farm Lance before it would fall through, leaving them to take the knowledge wanted to pursue. While he enjoyed the experience, “I knew gleaned and start over. that a big herd was not for me,” Lance explained. He and Gayle After close to 15 years of ups, downs, and almost, the Mitchell also knew they wanted to move closer to home near family to family found a new path through which to pursue their dream. raise their children. Hours and hours of time were spent around Don’s Dairy Supply, of South Kortright, NY, had a prototype for veteran farmers’ kitchen tables, discussing the sale of farms in a fully functional creamery housed within a shipping container. the area. Yet, every time they felt they were getting somewhere, The Mitchell family saw pictures of the prototype container, the proposition would fall through and leave them to begin and the gears in their mind started turning. Then something again. Still, they didn’t give up. It would prove to be good training extraordinary happened; much like when the farmer sought for their future pursuit of creating their own milk market. Finally, Lance and Gayle out, the local bank contacted them. The bank a local farmer who knew they were looking for a farm to begin knew they had been pursuing their dream of bottling milk for their journey, called them. This time, he came to their kitchen years, “They came alongside us and said, ‘how can we make table, and they sat around it and talked the deal over. The
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WINTER 2021 PA Holstein Profiles 11
