Farmers

Missions

- To increase demand for dairy products through the development and execution of an industry wide market-driven business plan that invests resources in a strategic manner and provides the best possible economic advantage to the dairy farmers. - To contribute to optimal health through leadership in nutrition research and education by encouraging food selection patterns that include dairy foods and other major food categories in accordance with scientific recommendations.

2009 Maine’s New England Green Pastures Award Farm and Maine Farm Family of The Year 2009-2010

Orono, ME—Triple D Acres owned by the John and Marcia Donald family of New Sharon is this year's winner of the Green Pastures award. The Donald family bought the farm on Weeks Mills Rd. in 1979 starting with 30 milking cows, the herd size now averages 70 milking cows with a rolling herd average of 20,000 lbs of milk. The farm has produced organic milk since 2002 and utilizes an efficient rotational grazing program combined with a feeding program of baleage and dry hay combined with a commercial organic grain. The Donald family supports several farm organizations, being a member of Maine Farm Bureau, National Farmers Organization, Maine Organic Milk Producers, Northeast Organic Dairy Producers, and Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Assoc.

The farm has seen many changes in the past thirty years. The original 220 has increased to 550 acres, plus 209 acres of rented land. The farm has 80 acres of rotational pasture with some hay land used as pasture after first crop is cut, as needed. The Donald family has added a hay barn, horse barn, loose housing, heifer barn and workshop to the farmstead.

Triple D Acres is a true family operation with John, wife Marcia and nephews Jeff and Frank Donald Jr. making all the management decisions together. Their main goals are to produce high quality milk with a minimum of debt and maintain a line of updated equipment to improve efficiency. Triple D Acres has had a somatic cell count of less than 150,000 winning the milk quality award from Dairy One from 2002 to 2008. This high quality also extends to the forage program, with most of the first, third and fourth crop forage put up as baleage and the second crop into dry hay. Triple D Acres won the over all champion for the forage contest at Maine Farm Days in 2007 and repeated that win in 2009. Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) information on the herd is used daily in making management decisions.

Their excellent work has extended into soil and water conservation since owning the farm and environmental stewardship is placed in high regard. The farm has installed a milk room waste system, two manure pits for storage of manure that is used as fertilizer according to crop needs, three drain systems, fixed many erosion gullies throughout the farm and cemented two high use areas to minimize damage, improve cattle cleanliness and milk quality. The Donald family was the 1992 Franklin County conservation Farm of the year.

Triple D Acres will be recognized on September 18, 2009 at the Eastern States Exposition along with winners of this award from the other New England states. This program is sponsored by the New England Green Pastures Committee and Cooperative Extension at each of the New England Land Grant Universities.

Annual Report