Stonyfield co-founder starts effort to help organic dairy farms
Courtesy / Northeast Organic Family Farm Partnership
Organic dairy farms, at risk due to recent contract cancellations, may get a boost from a new partnership.
The co-founder of yogurt producer Stonyfield Organic has formed a partnership of farmers, processors, activists and government agencies in an effort to help dairy farmers who have been hurt by the cancellation of contracts from large food companies.
Last fall, 89 organic family farms across Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and eastern New York received news that Horizon, a brand owned by Danone North America, planned to terminate their purchase contracts. Maple Hill Creamery also announced the cancellation of contracts with another 46 farms.
The loss of contracts would leave many dairy farms with no outlet for their milk.
Now Gary Hirshberg, Stonyfield’s co-founder, has forged a collective partnership that calls for 35 brands to increase their purchases of Northeast organic family farmers’ milk. It also is asking consumers to purchase one-fourth of their weekly dairy purchases from those brands.
The partnership is also inviting grocers, restaurants, cafeterias and any outlets that sell dairy products to also become licensed as partners that agree to increase their organic purchases in 2022 above their 2021 levels.
“There’s enormous urgency. It’s ultimately very straightforward. The organic farms need a bigger market for their milk. With the scale of the problem, time is not on our side. But this gives consumers and businesses something they can do,” Hirshberg told Mainebiz.
“Candidly, it should not be a very big lift for partners to add a supplier or increase a product offering or two. And when consumers make buying choices and make noise, retailers will find a way to respond,” Hirshberg said.
“Everyone has a stake in the long-term financial health of these farms and farm families. The simple act of pledging to purchase one-quarter of dairy items from the brands, processors and farms who support these family farmers, can help to ensure that these farms will remain healthy, vibrant, financially viable, and environmentally and climate-positive parts of the Northeast region for generations to come."
Hirshberg said the license agreement does have “teeth” in the fact that partners that fail to increase their organic dairy purchases in 2022 will not be renewed for 2023.
“We want to set the bar low so that people get involved. But it’s important that this has a tangible accountability. Collectively, even a small change in buying partners can make all the difference for these farms,” Hirshberg said.
In Maine, the partnership board includes the Maine Department of Agriculture, Annie Watson of the Maine Organic Milk Co., and advisors include Michael Brown of the CROPP Cooperative. Other representatives come from other northeastern states.
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments