WHAT WE DO
The Maine Dairy Industry Association (MDIA) is the trade association representing all of the cattle dairy farms in Maine who are transporting milk off the farm for processing and/or sale. MDIA represents all sizes and types of Maine’s dairy farmers and farm families – those using conventional or organic production methods. Our members range in size from operations milking as few as 10 cows to as many as 1700 cows. Most of MDIA’s farmers sell their milk through cooperatives or independently to processors making a variety of dairy products, from fluid milk and ice cream to cheese and butter, though the majority of Maine milk is designated for fluid milk at one of the 4 major Maine bottling plants. We also have members who sell their milk, homemade cheese and butter directly to the consumer from the farms.
OUR MISSION
The mission of MDIA is to provide a resource for information and conduit for communication between Maine’s dairy farming community and the public, through the media and our elected leaders. MDIA also serves to keep the dairy community informed about changing in Maine regulations and policies. MDIA has existed in Maine since 1984, but updated its mission, structure and level of activity in 2001 and has expanded the scope of its activities every year since. MDIA is funded by a mandatory 1-cent per hundredweight assessment from each dairy farm in Maine, augmented by some voluntary contribution programs.