Small-scale dairy farms in the Northeast to lose key customer next year, possibly pushing some out of business
Organic dairy farmers in Maine and other Northeastern states will lose a key customer in February 2023 when Horizon Organic withdraws from the region, The New York Times reports. For the last 20 years or so, the organic market has been a saving grace for small-scale New England dairies, offering premium prices for their milk as large-scale dairies in other parts of the country cannibalize the conventional milk market. But the area has few remaining milk processors, and Horizon truckers have to drive New England-produced milk to Western New York for processing. At the same time, large organic operations west of the Mississippi River have sprung up, producing cheaper milk and luring conglomerates like Horizon in their wake. Some New England producers told the Times that Horizon’s decision may put them out of business. —H. Claire Brown
