When one of the largest dairy corporations in the United States ruthlessly cut off family farmers in Maine, as the organic market softened with the downturn in the economy, farmers and organizations in the state met to try to figure out what to do to keep these dairies in business. Many had invested substantially in converting to organic production and even building new facilities. Some faced losing their farms.

Carly & Aaron DelSignore Bell and family, Edmunds, Maine.

As they say, "necessity is the mother of invention." These hard working farmers banded together with allies in the state and pulled off an ambitious plan to market their own local milk, returning most of the profits to the farmers. We certainly wish them well and here is their story:

Maine's Own Organic Milk Company produces high-quality organic milk. We are dedicated to keeping organic family farms across Maine in business. The farms that produce our milk share ownership in the company, and 90 percent of our profits are returned directly to those farms.

Vaughn and Laura Chase and family, Mapleton, Maine

Maine Farm Bureau, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, and the Maine Department of Agriculture worked together to help create this company.

The farm families involved are of many different sizes and each has its own story. Collectively they represent the hard work, innovation, commitment to conservation, wise use of natural resources, and the traditional community values that make Maine's agricultural sector a key component of the state's economy.

Keeping these families viable has also helped protect hundreds of acres of Maine farmland.

Not only is our milk produced on Maine farms, it is also trucked, processed, and distributed in Maine through a strong network of Maine businesses, many of them family-owned.

Our partnership also includes you. When you purchase our milk you help build strong connections between farmers and the people drinking their milk.

We owe our success to you, our customers. Thank you for buying Maine-produced organic milk.