Story written by: Katelyn Poitras
Quickly becoming a hit in the Hilltowns of Massachusetts, Peila’s Creamery in Gill has come a long way with the help of family and shared passion for great cows! Tracing back to 2006, Sunrise Valley Farm was started by Brian and Keri Peila where they milked 100 head of Holsteins on a rented farm in Northfield, MA. As the years went on, their ideas of purchasing all of their feed and having minimal equipment started to shift and they purchased land to grow their own crops. By 2011, the farm they had rented sold and they were left looking for somewhere new to farm. For the last twelve years, they have been renting a farm in Gill where they currently milk 80 cows in a tie-stall barn. The herd is grazed rotationally from early May until the middle of November.
Each member of the family has their role on the farm day-to-day. Brian and Keri’s oldest, Brian Jr, graduated from high school in 2021 with welding skills and has put them to use on the farm as he is responsible for all equipment repairs, in addition to all of the fieldwork and leading the custom harvesting business. Their daughter, Samantha, graduated high school in 2023 where she studied as a vet tech. Sam has also returned to the farm and is responsible for herd health, record keeping, as well as caring for the young stock. The youngest, Ben, does daily chores after school and feeds calves every night. Keri and Brian are very thankful for their family’s help and say it has been very rewarding to work with them daily.
While the Peila family added jerseys very slowly to the milking herd, when COVID hit, the quota program became a problem. Over the course of the grazing months, they would milk about 20-30 more cows and then sell any cows they did not have room for come winter. In 2020, their quota was 80,000 lbs under what their production in May was that year, and they would not be able to continue farming had they continued to overproduce. Keri, who for those who know her is more of a Holstein girl at heart, was the one to suggest adding more Jerseys into the herd. This would lower the amount of milk made while increasing components to maximize the highest pay price. This also lowered the amount of feed needed, which also helped expenses. Currently, the farm is half Jerseys and half Holsteins, although 75% of Youngstock is Jerseys.
From the time Brian got his first calf from his father, all he had ever dreamed of doing was making it better. Constantly trying to improve, even if you were already happy with what you were looking at. He was taught at a young age to be able to see the potential in animals and he believes that is where he fell in love with genetics. “My number one goal is longevity. I love milking cows daily, so beautiful cows are what we breed for,” says Peila. Although it has not always been smooth sailing in this crazy world we all know and love. The challenges that were thrown at the family allowed them to grow closer and helped them realize how important everyone is on the farm.
While the family may have decided that milking is the most peaceful time of the day, Brian and his daughter, Sam, seemed to have “caught the bug” and both have their favorite shows and reasons why! Brian says the best part of showing cattle is socializing with his fellow breeders and sharing all their ideas. A true testament to their hard work and careful breeding decisions is the accumulation of Premier Breeder and Premier Exhibitor banners they have achieved over the last few years in the Jersey breed at various shows.
This last classification, Sunrise Valley Farm had their first Excellent 95-point cow that they developed. Apocalypse Fire Madison, a seven-year-old aged cow who had a successful year in the show ring as well in 2023. Sired by Colton Flame Fireman, Madison was bred by Gary and Sara Gibbs from Slate Hill, NY. Madison was first aged cow at the Massachusetts State Jersey Show and first aged cow and honorable mention senior champion at the Northeast Jersey Classic at The Big E. They are excited for this year with Madison as she is an easy-to-work-with, stress-free cow who breeds back each year. Her oldest daughter, sired by River Valley Cece Chrome, is classified Excellent 91 at 4-04 and her granddaughter, sired by Casino, is scored Very Good 88 at 2-05. They also have daughters of Madison by River Valley Victorious and Kash In Knox.
Peila’s always strive for the “breeder banners” but recognize the purchased animals in their herd that are helping lay a great foundation as they plan to increase their Jersey herd. Cows to mention are JX TNT Harris Dollar, Excellent 94, who was Grand Champion at the Massachusetts State Jersey Show in 2022; Budjon Colton G-Force, Excellent 91; Ty-Ly-View Fizz Parvati, Excellent 92; Rivendale Metallica Doll, Excellent 92; Arethusa Premier Vivine, Excellent 90; and Cowbell Rockstar Calgary, Excellent 91. A few young cows Peila mentioned that he believes will be great cows in the future are MM-T Pockets Andreas Sugar, Zubi Kalahari Violet, Foxfield Victorious Glenda, and Tierneys Chrome Taryn. The favorite cows of the herd consist of their highest scoring homebred cow, Peila’s-SVF Tequila Nancy, affectionately known as “Chubs,” who is classified Excellent 94 and backed by ten generations of Very Good or Excellent dams. Another favorite is a four-year-old for this show season, Peila’s-SVF Verb Casper, classified Excellent 93-MAX. Casper is a work in progress as far as breaking her to lead goes, although both cows excel in production and look good doing it!
The Peila family, while taking pride in their cows for their looks, also have used their top-quality milk to open a farm store where they bottle and sell fresh cream line milk, cheese curds, yogurt, as well as other local products. This idea of an on-farm processing plant came to be in about 2012 when they purchased a herd of cows from a farm that produced drinkable yogurt. Years of thought and patience were well worth the wait when they passed all inspections and opened the store last winter! A challenge they faced upon opening the farm store was learning to balance the day-to-day chores of the farm while giving proper attention to both the farm and the plant. The goal of opening the farm store was to ensure another source of income for the kids and their wishes to return to the farm full-time. During quota adding numbers to the herd was not a feasible option, making their plan to fill the quota and as their sales increased, continue to add to the herd to supplement the plant.
Having various products in the store allows for a wide array of customers who are willing to not only support local but also allow the Peila family to try new things and gauge how popular items are. Currently, the most popular item selling in the farm store is their cream line chocolate milk. A unique flavor they sell is maple, made with their own maple syrup, which is also gaining some ground in popularity. Brian’s favorite product to make is cheese curds. He reminisces on his dad bringing cheese home from several farms and how he always loved farmer’s cheese. Currently, the farm not only produces for the on-farm store but is also in several other stores with the goal of being in 40-50 by the end of the one-year mark. Their favorite part of the store being on the farm is interaction with their customers. The store and their products have become quite popular locally and with their friends and family. Each post on social media gains support and questions of “Can you bring chocolate milk??” or “Will you have cheese curds at the show?!” flow in from people all over the Northeast. Shaping the store up to be a successful venture for the Peila family!
With a leap of faith and a dream, Sunrise Valley Farm was started in 2006 with the goal of raising great cattle and great kids. In the last 18 years, the Peila family raised a family, grew the business of the farm, and started a new venture, Peila’s Creamery. Striving to always do better, new goals keep getting made and then met. Watch for the Peila’s-SVF prefix in the coming years and the Peila’s Creamery label for a quality, delicious product made by the people who love the cows!