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Jared Golden and Chellie Pingree want organic milk giant to do more for Maine dairy farms

Murray Carpenter
/
Maine Public
Cows on a Pittsfield dairy farm in 2017.

When Horizon Organic stopped buying milk from nearly 90 Northeastern dairy farmers last year, it pledged investments to help the industry. But U.S. Reps. Jared Golden and Chellie Pingree say the company has not followed through.

The representatives, along with their House colleague U.S. Rep. Peter Welch of Vermont, outlined their concerns in a letter last Friday to Danone, the corporate parent of Horizon Organic.

Sarah Alexander, executive director of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, says Danone has made several concessions to regional dairy farmers — including contract extensions, severance payments and investments in regional dairy infrastructure.

"They are honoring the contract extensions, and they are honoring the severance payments," Alexander says, "but they have not shared any details about what investments they might make."

In their letter, the representatives noted that New England dairy farmers have had an especially challenging year, with high feed prices and drought in many areas.

Danone provided a statement saying that it remains open to co-investment opportunities that support farmers’ needs in the Northeast.

Murray Carpenter is Maine Public’s climate reporter, covering climate change and other environmental news.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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