After operating a traditional dairy for several years, Mark and Melanie sold the majority of the dairy operation in December of 2000 due to the increasingly difficult financial climate of the dairy industry.  Our family was able to retain the farmstead, located in Ulysses, PA, and a few of the children’s 4-H animals.  Two years later when these animals matured, the children, Rachel, Philip, and Hannah started their own small dairy operation.  After Rachel went off to college, Philip and Hannah eventually decided to concentrate on raising young stock and farmed-out their milking cows to other dairy farmers.

In 2008, we grew tired of sending our “cow family members” away and began exploring a way to keep our cattle home on the farm.  Knowing that simply shipping milk from our small herd would not be profitable, we searched for another more feasible option.  We decided to make raw-milk, artisan cheeses and built a cheese house addition to our existing barn.  We are now extremely enthusiastic about creating excellent and delicious artisan cheeses. 

One of the most exciting decisions we made, with the undertaking of the new business, was definitely naming the creamery.  Our family farm is located in the northern part of Potter County (Ulysses, PA) at the headwaters of the Genesee, Allegheny, and Susquehanna rivers.  The county is lovingly referred to as God’s Country because of its gorgeous rolling hills, peaceful environment, and magnificently clear dark skies.  Therefore we named the operation God’s Country Creamery.

The founding of God’s Country Creamery provided us with an opportunity to not only join a time-enduring legacy of artisan cheese making, but also sustain agriculture on our farmstead.  All of our cattle have now returned home and even a few more have been added to the herd.  Both we and the cows are happy to be reunited.

On a day to day basis, Mark works full-time as a dairy consultant and works two days a week away from the farm.  He is in charge of tractor work and feeding. 

Melanie milks the cows almost every day in addition to being the major force in the cheesehouse.  She makes, cuts, packages, flips, and ships the cheeses.

While Philip and Hannah are both studying at Penn State currently, they often come home on the weekends to help with the farm and the creamery.  Philip was the main initiator in building the cheese house and is now responsible for most of the cheesemaking.  He is studying Animal Sciences at college.  Hannah is studying Agribusiness Managment.  When at home, she is backup milker and often helps out in the cheesehouse as well.

Rachel is the oldest and is in graduate school at Binghamton University majoring in Math Education.  She is very interested and involved in the operation including the website preparation.  She maintains an interest in all of the animals while pursuing her education. 

All of us love to work with our family of cows.  The joy of dairy farming runs deep in our blood, and we are living our dream of producing quality milk and marketing our products straight from the farm. 

If you are ever in the area, we invite you to stop by the farm and see the operation.  We recognize the importance of establishing trust in your food source.  You’ll enjoy seeing the cows, tasting the cheeses, and taking in the beautiful landscape.  For now, check out the rest of the website to learn more about the cheeses, meet the cows, gather recipes, and gain more insight into God's Country Creamery.