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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 23 N OV E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 5 'Death, taxes and hauling' Getz says lining up the Chase Organic Dairy and H.B. Farms as milk suppliers last summer gave Organic Valley a mod- est but important entry into a region better known for potatoes and broccoli than its dairy farms. With a growing base of Amish farmers attracted by e County's relatively inexpensive land prices, Getz says Organic Valley saw an opportunity to satisfy increasing con- sumer demand for organic milk while also fulfi lling its mission of building stronger organic farming communities. "You can't help but be impressed by the quality of the land up here," he says. " e challenge has been the eco- nomics of bringing their products to the market. e transportation issue is really the back story of our Aroostook County initiative. As an Amish farmer once said to me, 'If you live and farm in e County, the certainties aren't just death and taxes: It's death, taxes and hauling.' ey get that. e Amish can farm up here in the traditional way, but they realize you also have to get your products to the market." Getz says Organic Valley's Aroostook milk run initially was subsidized by the cooperative's other Maine milk pool farmers, most of them located in central Maine, who agreed to reduce the price they received per hundredweight of milk by 25 cents to help pay the cost of sending a milk truck up there every other day. "For Maine dairy farmers e County is a special place, even if they haven't been up here themselves," he says. " rough the cooperative they've invested out of their own pockets to bring a stable market up there, while also increasing the size of our Maine dairy pool." C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » Your Maine Source for all your branded products Visit Our Showroom: 1923 TM ® ® ® Embroidery Digital Printing Screenprinting Laser Applique Promotional Products Brands you can trust, customized for your company Organic Valley's three 'milk run' trucks visit 44 farms S O U R C E : Organic Valley B I D D E F O R D B R U N S W I C K L E W I S T O N B E L FA S T M I L L I N O C K E T H O U LT O N C A R I BO U B A N G O R T H E F O R K S D OV E R - F O X C RO F T P O R T L A N D A U G U S TA S K OW H E G A N FA R M I N G T O N WAT E R V I L L E P R E S Q U E I S L E hay and grain pool dairy pool