![]() “It’s a pretty big deal for a processor to withdraw from an entire region,” Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) executive director Sarah Alexander recently told the Lewiston Sun Journal as MOFGA, along with eight other organic farming organizations, sent two petitions to Danone. Even New Hampshire’s two affected farms will impact its shrinking dairy sector, now numbered at 95 farms. Vermont, where 28 of the terminated farms reside along with Cabot Creamery and Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, is the largest producer of milk in New England. New York’s dairy sector, which had 46 affected farms, is the fourth largest in the nation. Photo courtesy of Faithful Venture Farm.ĭairy is the top agricultural product for the three other states. The Mehuren family is optimistic that they’ll find another buyer for their organic milk in the coming months. A hit of this size is likely to have a ripple effect on local economies and farm-related businesses. ![]() ![]() As Maine’s second largest agricultural product, dairy accounts for more than $570 million a year, according to the Maine Dairy Industry Association. Their 45 registered Holsteins produce around 2,700 pounds of milk a day, and they also raise beef animals and a handful of sheep.įaithful Venture, along with the 13 other Maine organic dairy farms that received termination letters, are part of the state’s 196 dairy farms, 40 percent of which are organic. The Mehurens have been shipping their milk to Horizon since 2008, when they transitioned the dairy to organic. The fourth-generation dairy Faithful Venture Farm in Searsmont, Maine was not surprised to receive its notice, says Sadee Mehuren, who operates the farm with her father, grandfather and five siblings in the tiny town near Maine’s midcoast region. The affected farms in New York, Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire are part of a larger trend of decline in small dairy farms driven by milk pricing and consolidation. In late August, 89 Northeast organic dairy farmers were informed by Danone that their contracts with Horizon Organic, which the French-based company owns, will be terminated in August 2022. ![]()
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