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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 17 N OV E M B E R 2 , 2 0 2 6 F O C U S FA M I LY - OW N E D B U S I N E S S D airy farmer Carmen Fisher recently posted a photo on her Facebook page of a calf snuggled up in a bright red insulated jacket. e temperature was 36 degrees Fahrenheit and was expected to drop to 25 — not bad except for the wind. "I don't play when it comes to my calves conserving energy to grow," Fisher writes. "My three newest resi- dents are in comfy hay but an open concept barn. Jackets went on just now so they will waste no energy try- ing to stay warm tonight." Cow comfort is all in a day's work at Maine's dairy farms. So is an approach that combines farming tra- ditions with environmental and busi- ness innovation, infrastructure and technology upgrades and projects that help dairy farms increase profitability and resilience to risk. Break-even operations Maine's dairy farms — most of them family-owned and generally break-even operations — have decreased from 602 in 1994 to 130 this year, according to the Maine Dairy Task Force. e causes are legion, says Stacy Brenner, Maine Farmland Trust's president and CEO. Federally determined milk prices are volatile and not tied to the cost of pro- duction. Fuel and transportation costs are increasing. Aging farm infrastructure often requires major, multi-year invest- ments. e farmers themselves are also getting older, by median age. Finding farm labor can be difficult. ere's industry consolidation and fewer agri- cultural service providers. Add to that, sales of "fluid" milk have been relatively flat in recent years. Drought means drying wells, lower quality and quantity hay yields and heat stress to the animals, reducing milk yields and increasing costs for farmers to supplement water and feed for their herds. Limited in-state milk processing infrastructure means many dairy farmers must ship their milk to other states for processing, with high transportation costs. Individual dairy operations are doing their best to maintain and strengthen their operations. "Many Maine dairy farmers are working to improve and expand on- farm infrastructure to increase efficien- cies and reduce costs," says Brenner. Cow care e industry leans toward new man- agement practices and technologies in the pursuit of efficiency and to mitigate challenges, says Sarah Littlefield, execu- tive director of the Augusta nonprofit Maine Dairy & Nutrition Council/ Maine Dairy Promotion Board. Examples include automated milking, feeding and manure management sys- tems. Wearable biometric technology, like "smart" ear tags and collars, help improve animal care and health, alerting farmers to issues sooner. GPS and drones in the fields help grow crops to feed the animals in a way that reduces costs and increases feed quality and yields. Energy-generating technologies include solar panels and methane digesters that capture gasses from manure and consumer food waste. Cow comfort improvements include automated brushes, barn layout, stall design and automated climate control devices like fans and barn curtains, helping relieve cow stress and improve productivity. C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » THE FUTURE OF BUILDING IS COMING TO OXFORD! Grand Opening in Early 2027 Hancock Lumber is investing and expanding to serve our builders in new ways. Our fully automated, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Oxford is nearing completion and will bring solutions to help builders work safely, complete jobs faster, and increase capacity. A SNAPSHOT OF OUR NEW FACILITY + SERVICES: • 44,000 square feet with room to expand • 10x production capacity increase • The latest technology and equipment available • Centralized estimating and design services for greater efficiency and simplified project management on your jobsites • Up to 20' wall panels • Zip System ® R-Sheathing insulated wall panels • Pre-cut, labeled framing packages for reduced waste on your jobsites • Integrated building packages with roof trusses, floor trusses, and wall panels. 2026_1021_MeBiz Ad_PRESS.indd 1 2026_1021_MeBiz Ad_PRESS.indd 1 10/20/26 3:05 PM 10/20/26 3:05 PM As we complete one project, we start saying, 'What other small change can we make to do things better? — Carmen Fisher Fisher Farms Sarah Littlefield of the Maine Dairy & Nutrition Council/Maine Dairy Promotion Board says the heritage industry is progressive when it comes to management practices and technologies. P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F M A I N E DA I R Y

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