The Northeast Organic Family Farm Partnership, an initiative launched by Gary Hirshberg, co-founder of organic yogurt maker and dairy company Stonyfield, is encouraging consumers in northern New England and New York to sign a pledge to buy a quarter of their weekly dairy purchases from 35 organic dairy brands based in the Northeast.

The brands, including Stonyfield, have committed to increasing the amount of milk they purchase from Northeast organic family farmers, Hirshberg said.

“It would be one thing if we were talking about citrus, but with dairy products that can and should be produced in the region, we’re betting that significant numbers of consumers will vote with their dollars to keep these organic family farms in business,” he said.

Horizon Organic, owned by Danone, announced last summer that it would stop buying milk from 89 organic dairy farms in the Northeast next August.

In December, it offered to extend those contracts another six months.

Meanwhile, the number of farms in New England continues to fall. New Hampshire, for example, had 829 commercial dairy farms in 1970. That dropped to 182 in 2000 and just 95 in 2020, according to Granite State Dairy Promotion.