Maine Dairymen's Association Records

The collection contains records of the Maine Dairymen's Association, a cooperative organization for farmers engaged in dairying and milk production, including records of the Board of Directors and the Executive Secretary of the Maine Dairymen's Association.

The Maine Dairymen's Association was formed in December, 1937, "to enable its members to secure the full market value of their dairy products, to bargain for the disposition of the same, [and] to establish proper checks on weights and tests of products sold..." The need for such an organization arose from the unsettled conditions for selling milk which existed during the 1930s. Collective bargaining between associations of producers and dealers had broken down and various efforts by the federal government to set prices were beginning to be felt. Farmers in the Maine market realized the need for the sort of stabilization provided by a cooperative association, which would pay its members for milk supplied, market the milk, and return any profit to the farm owners.

The Maine Dairymen's Association was divided into locals and a central organization, with the locals made up of individual dairymen who then elected representatives to form the central organization. The Association became active in promoting the needs of its members at the state and federal level, influencing industry legislation and working to maintain strong markets. It had a field man who worked actively with members in testing milk. Funds were available to help members in case of loss of milk payments or other financial difficulties. A newsletter, the Maine Milk Producer, began in 1941, merging in 1958 with another publication to become the Northern Milk Producer.

By the late 1960s, many members had come to believe that the Association was too small and weak to have sufficient bargaining power for its members. The Board of Directors began to discuss the possibility of a merger with another organization. In February, 1969, a proposal was presented to merge with the New England Milk Producers Association, now Agri-Mark, and on May 9, 1969, the Maine Dairymen's Association ceased to exist.