AUGUSTA, Maine — Members of the Maine dairy task force call for the full funding of the state’s milk “tier” program, which aims to give farmers the financial support needed to break even.
The task force will discuss funding sources for the tier program and other potential recommendations during its Oct. 7 meeting.
This comes at a particularly turbulent time for Maine’s dairy industry. Since 2020, Maine has lost one-third of its dairy farms, leaving less than 150 remaining. Many have folded because of economic pressures unique to the industry, like market volatility.
"The actual cost of production is higher than the cost that’s being offered in the commodity milk market," Steve Burger, who operates Winter Hill Farm in Freeport, said last week. "There are so many factors that make it a challenge for dairy farmers in the state."
Part of the financial strain on Maine milk producers also has to do with geography and transportation costs.
"We can only ship milk in one direction," Julie-Marie Bickford, who heads the Maine Milk Commission, explained Friday, "We are not allowed to ship raw milk into Canada [and] we can’t ship it into the ocean."
Bickford said the tier program has helped offset these extra costs while providing economic support beyond the farms themselves.
"While the money goes to dairy farms, it never stays on the dairy farms and farmers are using it to pay bills in the community."
According to meeting materials from the dairy task force, some members believe the legislature is not fully funding the tier program which, in turn, is hampering its ability to work as the safety net it is intended to be.
On Monday, the task force will discuss a proposal calling for full funding of the program and a plan to find an additional funding source. The job of the dairy task force is to present recommendations, on how to keep the state’s dairy industry afloat.