Task Force to Support Maine Commercial Dairy Farms (2024)

Resolve Language

LD 1274 Resolve, To Establish the Task Force to Support Maine Commercial Dairy Farms

Committee Members

The committee is comprised of the following members, who represent the breadth of experience required in the establishing resolve (L.D. 1274, Resolves 2024, ch. 146, Sec. 2).

Board Member Organization Representing Section
Commissioner Amanda Beal Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Sec. 2
Annie Watson President of the Maine Dairy Industry Association (MDIA) MDIA (Sec 2.1)
Julie-Marie Bickford Executive Director of the Maine Milk Commission (MMC) MMC (Sec 2.2)
Rebecca Wallick HP Hood LLC Milk Processor (Sec 2.3)
Leigh Chase Hannaford Supermarkets National Market Milk Retailer (Sec 2.4)
Steve Keene Conant Acres Farm and Market Tier 1 Farm (Sec 2.5)
Libby Bleakney Highland Farms and Farm Market Tier 2 Farm (Sec 2.5)
Heath Miller Green Valle Farm Tier 3 Farm (Sec 2.5)
John Stoughton Misty Meadows Farm Tier 4 Farm (Sec 2.5)
Ethan Robertson Farm Credit East Dairy Economist (Sec 2.6)
Steve Burger Winter Hill Farm At-large (Sec 2.7)
Randall Hall Hall Farms At-large (Sec 2.7)
Andy Smith The Milkhouse Farm At-large (Sec 2.7)
Jeffrey Bragg Rainbow Valley Farm, LLC. At-large (Sec 2.7)
Bill Eldridge   At-large (Sec 2.7)

Meeting Dates

Additional Meeting Materials

Meeting notes and additional materials will be posted 2-4 business days after each meeting.

Resource Library

Document Description
2017 Consolidation Concentration and Competition in the Food System - James MacDonald (PDF) Report on consolidation trends in the food system. Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
A Summative History of ME Dairy from 2000-2024 (PDF) A brief, bulleted history of milk pricing and the Tier Program in ME 2000-2024. Compiled by Julie-Marie Bickford.
Basic Milk Pricing Concepts for Farmers (PDF) Primer on how milk and dairy product prices are determined, mostly focused on federal scale, with some state call-outs. University of Wisconsin Extension.
Evaluating Maine Tier Program (PDF) Academic study which uses simulations and modelling to investigate the effectiveness of the Tier Program in Maine. Journal: Sustainability (2018).
Maine Farmland Trust Dairy Sector Report 2020 (PDF) Maine Farmland Trust's 2020 report on trends, challenges, and opportunities in the Dairy Sector in Maine. Includes pricing, cost of production, farmland, consolidation, and demographics.
Maine Milk 101 - June 2024 DTF (PDF) Maine Milk Commission presentation on Dairy in Maine, including the role of MMC, state, regional and federal programs and regulation, and relevant dairy support programs including the Tier Program. April 2024
Maine Milk Money Summary 2003-2023 (PDF) Data on total and average cost of Tier, Pool, and Premium payments, 2003-2023. MMC
Maine Milk Production Vs Farm Numbers 1989-2023 (PDF) Data on number of dairies and production by pound in Maine 1989-2023. MMC.
Maine Organic Milk Production v Farm Numbers 2000-2024 (PDF) Data on number of organic dairies and production by pound in Maine 2000-2024. MMC
Tier Program levels history 2003-2024 (PDF) Data on Tier Program target prices 2005-2024. MMC
Understanding Your Milk Check (PDF) Resource for dairy farmers who are paid by the component pricing model. Describes how federal order pricing can be translated into actual payments. May be biased-- published by T.C. Jacoby & Co., a milk distributor.
USDA Dairy Farmer Retail Share 4-23 Edition (XLSX) Estimates of the share of retail prices paid to dairy farmers by-product: whole milk, butter, cheddar, ice cream. Data source USDA-ERS w/ retail prices from DOL-BLS.