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V O L . X X I N O. X X V N OV E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 5 24 T R A N S P O R TAT I O N / I N F R A S T R U C T U R E F O C U S e hauling support by the cooper- ative's non-Aroostook dairy members ended this summer. An additional $1 per hundredweight hauling charge being paid by the Aroostook dairy farmers, refl ecting the distance from the Stonyfi eld processing plant in Londonderry, N.H., will be reevalu- ated as the milk run's tanker nears its 7,500-gallon capacity, Getz says. Two Amish families in East Hodgdon, southeast of Houlton on the border with New Brunswick, are now part of Organic Valley's Aroostook milk run: Stephen Petre, whose farm was cer- tifi ed organic in July, and his neighbors, Steven Wolf and his son Asher, who completed their transition to organic production last month. As many as 10 others, including an Amish farmer from Pennsylvania who recently moved to e County, have expressed interest in becoming Organic Valley members. Getz isn't surprised. "People aren't blind," he says. "When they see our milk truck going back and forth every other day, they know something is happening. Maine is a very big state. But it's also a very small state: People know each other, particularly in the dairy industry. e fi rst question — 'Is Organic Valley coming up here?' — we've already answered. e obvious next question is 'Will we stay?'" For Petre, the arrival of Organic Valley's milk truck in e County last summer was reason enough to tell his feed company, "Sell me organic feed. I'm transitioning." He's confi dent the cooperative will stay. Originally from an Amish farming community in Tennessee, Petre says he was drawn to Aroostook County by the availability of "good soil at reason- able prices." He eventually found what he was looking for in East Hodgdon, where he bought a 500-acre farm in 2012. He briefl y entertained raising sheep, then thought of raising gar- den vegetables as a small truck farmer before settling on dairy farming. Both his grandfathers, he says, had been dairy farmers in Tennessee. "I didn't want to start milking and just exist," he says, describing how he had visited Amish dairy farms in New York state to learn from them the best way to succeed in the notori- ously challenging dairy industry. e fi rst thing he discovered is that 75% of them were Organic Valley producers who embraced organic over conven- tional dairy farming. " ey said, 'Hey, it can be done. It's possible. It takes eff ort, but you can do it.'" » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E Smarter businesses rely on Androscoggin smarter banking. Smarter solutions to support your commitments to your clients, community and employees. To find out how Androscoggin Bank provides solutions for smarter businesses, contact Dave Eldridge, SVP and Commercial Lending Manager 376-3626 • deldridge@androscogginbank.com androscogginbank.com Smarter Banking ™ "Flying from Bangor makes life easier." Between work and parenting, Katie and Zach are always on the go. And with Ben growing so fast, fl ying to visit family members is an important part of their lives. For them, Bangor International Airport is a close-by, family-friendly solution. Best of all, when they touch down in Bangor, tucking Ben into his own bed is a short ride home. Learn more at FlyBangor.com. DELTA • ALLEGIANT • AMERICAN • UNITED Katie, Zach and Ben Beaulieu BGR_MEBiz_102715_BeaulieuFamily.indd 1 10/27/15 4:24 PM

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