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V O L . X X V I I N O. X I X S E P T E M B E R 6 , 2 0 2 1 10 B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S N E W S F RO M A RO U N D T H E S TAT E Daniel Cardillo Charitable Fund, which supports young people pursuing their artistic, academic, athletic and voca- tional or life's passion outside of the traditional school environment. The foundation also said that $334,202 was awarded through its Belvedere Historic Preservation and Energy Efficiency Fund with an additional two grants totaling $13,000 from donor- advised funds. Orono gathering place to get upgrade An anonymous donor's gift of $1.25 million will help jumpstart a fundrais- ing effort to refurbish the Newman Center, an Orono gathering place for Catholic students at the University of Maine. e College Avenue build- ing has been part of campus life since 1946, but in recent years has needed renovation, including structural repairs, according to the Parish of the Resurrection of the Lord, of which the Newman Center is part. Upgrades will Kennebec Savings Bank was established in 1870 to help every member of our community save, thrive and grow. Serving the Maine banking community for over 150 years. Visit www.KennebecSavings.Bank to view a complete list of our residential and commercial products. As milk producer ends contracts, a familiar apprehension shakes dairy farms B y C a t i e J o y c e - B u l a y Global food conglomerate Danone S.A., which owns the Horizon Organic brand, will not renew its contracts with any of the 14 Maine organic dairy farms that supply the $30 billion company. In a letter sent to the Maine farmers and 65 others throughout the Northeast, Danone said their contracts will end on Aug. 31, 2022. Dairy goods, Maine's second-largest agricultural products, have faced rising production costs and falling consumer prices for years. This latest blow, which affects farms accounting for 7% of the state's dairy production, is likely to have a ripple effect on local economies and farm-related businesses. "Maine has a small, tight-knit dairy community, so when 14 of your dairy farms lose their milk market and are in dan- ger of not being able to continue to operate, it's a crushing blow," said Jami Badershall, spokesperson for the Maine Dairy Promotion Board and Maine Dairy & Nutrition Council. Milk is Maine's largest livestock product and second only to vegetable crops in agricultural sales, according to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture census in 2017. Maine's 27,000 dairy cows produced 593 million pounds of milk in 2020.. Badershall said that few recognize the economic contribu- tions dairy makes to the state and added she hopes a solution can be found "that will allow this milk to find a home with another processor and these families can continue to farm." It's unclear what other options are available for the affected farmers, since Maine does not have an in-state pro- cessing plant for organic milk. All organic milk is either processed at a small scale for value-added products like artisan cheese and ice cream, or must be shipped out of state for processing. Other organic milk producers, like Stonyfield and Organic Valley, may not have a need for more. The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry has begun reaching out to the affected farms and exploring ways to assist them, Gov. Janet Mills and MDACF commissioner Amanda Beal said. The group will be made up of state congressional delegates and agriculture industry stakeholders, including the Maine Dairy Industry Association, Maine Organic Milk Producers, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Maine Farmland Trust, Coastal Enterprises Inc., Maine Farm Bureau and Maine Milk Commission. B R I E F N O R T H E R N & E A S T E R N

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