Members of Maine’s Agriculture, Forestry and Conservation Committee can’t agree on how much it costs to make milk in Maine - a key number in the state’s unique dairy stabilization program. The tier program provides a safety net for dairy farmers when the volatile price of milk drops, closing the gap between the price paid and the cost of production. Since 2007, the program has paid out $30 million to Maine’s dairy farmers.
The stabilization program must be re-authorized by the Legislature every year - a process that is currently underway.
Committee chairman Rep. Jeff McCabe, D-Skowhegan, said that after two work sessions, the committee sent a divided report to the Legislature.
The Republicans serving on the committee opted to submit last year’s numbers while the committee’s Democrats opted to use new numbers that McCabe said more accurately reflect today’s costs of labor, energy and fuel. PD
—From The Bangor Daily News (Click here to read the full article.)
