01:00 AM EDT on Saturday, June 19, 2004

People from places like Wyoming and Kansas don't understand what dairy farms mean to New Englanders. The heartland has more farms than it knows what to do with and worries little about losing open space. And so others may be forgiven for scratching their heads when they hear of plans by Vermont dairy farmers to develop a New England brand of milk that would cost consumers up to 30 cents more per gallon.

Will New Englanders pay more for milk they know comes from their region? It is a thesis worth testing.

New England's rocky terrain is unsuited to mega-crops like corn and wheat, which also enjoy large federal subsidies. That has left dairies as one of the few farming businesses in this region. If New Englanders lose their dairy farms, they lose their agricultural heritage. And, sadly, dairy farms have been disappearing. Maine only has 412 today, down from 775 in 1986. In Rhode Island only 18 working dairy farms remain.

The health of New England's farming sector is more than an agricultural matter. It is also an environmental concern. As in Europe, farms provide much of the open space. We don't have vast windswept prairies, and few parts of New England are spared the threat of sprawl.

Then there are the cultural considerations. Could anyone imagine driving through the Vermont countryside without seeing cow-studded hills?

Dairy farms, however, do more than offer picturesque vistas. They are real businesses. Vermont's 1,300 dairy farms produce $400 million worth of milk yearly. Other Vermont farm products -- fruits and vegetables, maple sugar, Christmas trees and turkeys -- together bring in one-quarter as much revenue.

There are not many ways to make a living in Maine. So the dairy business there, which brings in $100 million a year, would seem something worth preserving.

However, New England's dairy farms need help in competing against the big industrialized operations in the Midwest. And that's where local consumers come in. They have to be willing to pay more for local milk. AgriMark, the region's largest dairy cooperative, thinks the idea of branding New England milk will fly with shoppers.

"It's more than the milk," said AgriMark economist Robert Wellington, "it's the farm."

There does seem to be a growing market in New England for quality foods, and some high-end stores do well promoting local produce.

If the idea of made-in-New England milk succeeds, the dairy farmers would receive $1 extra per 100 pounds of milk. For these hard-pressed farmers, that could mean the difference between staying in business and selling out to a developer.

Would New England consumers pay extra for a quart of milk to help preserve their countryside? Our guess would be "yes."