The loss of local family farms is not a new story for the Northeast. However, in the fall of 2021, 89 organic farms across Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York received the devastating and unexpected news that Horizon Organic, the processor committed to purchasing their milk, would terminate contracts within 12–18 months. Soon after that, 46 organic family farms in eastern New York received similar notices from their processor, Maple Hill Creamery.
The 135 termination notices placed a large percentage of the region’s organic dairy farms in financial jeopardy and created an urgent wake-up call for our region. Hard-working family farms in the Northeast – and the promise of a climate-positive, secure food system supported by their organic methods – face dire consequences. Simply put, we all must act to prevent farms from ever being placed in this position again.
Your Role as a Consumer
The first step in creating market stability and ensuring the future of the Northeast’s organic dairy farms is to increase the demand for the organic milk produced in our region. When consumers vote with their dollars and purchase from the brands committed to sourcing organic milk from our region, it sends a strong message that we value our local organic farms and want them to stay in business.
You can help by taking a simple pledge stating that you’ll purchase from the brands committed to our region’s organic family farms.
