MAINE, USA — Maine Gov. Janet Mills has declared June as Maine Dairy Month in collaboration with the Maine Dairy Industry Association, the Maine Dairy & Nutrition Council, and the Maine Cheese Guild, according to a news release.
In celebration of one of Maine’s most prominent industries, Maine Dairy Month is designated in the spirit of supporting local Maine farmers and dairy producers.
“Dairy farms are a cornerstone of Maine’s agricultural industry, of our rural communities, and of our economy as a whole,” Mills said in the news release. “From milk to cheese to yogurt to ice cream, Maine’s dairy farmers work hard to deliver us delicious, world-class products that I am proud to celebrate and promote.”
Maine is home to 176 dairy farms that care for herds of dairy cows, goats, and sheep and steward 700,000 acres of fields, pastures, and croplands, according to the news release.
Maine dairy farms act as engines for the state’s economy and employment sectors, not only employing the farms themselves but offering opportunities for indirect business and growth.
Maine dairy farmers and creameries provide approximately 15,000 jobs both directly and indirectly, account for $904 million in direct economic impact, and $1 billion in indirect economic impact, according to the news release.
“As a Maine dairy farmer, I am so grateful our neighbors trust us to put good food from our family farm on their family table," Jenni Tilton-Flood of Flood Brothers Farm said in the news release. "Our way of life wouldn’t be possible and it couldn’t be the way we make our living if we weren’t surrounded and supported by our Maine community."
Flood Brothers Farm is located in Clinton and is a part of the Cabot Creamery Cooperative. The farm has been “farming the fields of central Maine for more than 200 years,” according to its website.
The Maine dairy industry has suffered some upheaval over the past year as Danone, owner of Horizon Organic, announced in October it would not renew contracts with 14 organic Maine farms in August 2022. Then, in December, the company offered a six-month extension of those contracts until February 2023.
During the time of the initial contract renewal announcement, Amanda Beal, commissioner of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, told NEWS CENTER Maine that the state is looking for more avenues of locally sourcing milk processing.
"We're also engaged in conversations about potentially looking at opportunities to develop some in-state processing for organic dairy which we don't really have at scale right now," Beal said. "As well as in conversations about potential regional solutions."
Mills’ designation of June as Maine Dairy Month serves to advocate for the Maine dairy industry and support local farms and dairy producers, drawing attention to one of Maine’s essential agricultural industries as Maine's dairy climate evolves.
