A state task force to support Maine's commercial dairy farms is recommending that the Dairy Tier Program be fully funded. The program offers supplemental payments to farmers when the price of milk falls below the cost of production.
The task force suggests that it may be necessary to find new revenue streams for funding and increase the annual baseline.
"And I just think we're in a position where if we don't fully fund the program, we're going to see farms leave the industry," says Annie Watson, an organic dairy farmer, president of the Maine Dairy Industry Association and a member of the task force. "It's unfortunate because it is a program that does work and is working but it would work so much better if it were fully funded."
Other recommendations include increasing on-farm technical support and increasing milk processing capacity in Maine.
The deadline for submitting feedback on the recommendations is Friday, Nov. 22, and the task force will submit its final report in January.
