PITTSFIELD — Walter and Edna Fletcher of Pittsfield, Leonard and Shirley Chadbourne of Palmyra and Bill Sawyer of Newport were among 45 central Maine dairy farmers receiving a special milk quality award recently.

The awards were presented by Agri-Mark milk cooperative, which markets more than 40 percent of all milk in New England and New York.

“Our standards are much tougher than federal and state standards,” said Douglas DiMento of Agri-Mark, based in Lawrence, Mass. “It is tough to keep such high quality on a consistent basis. After all, it is not just quality milk, it is a quality system to hold the milk.”

The central Maine region had the highest percentage of milk quality award winners over all 16 other Agri-Mark membership regions. Forty percent of the area’s cooperative members in mid-Maine received awards.

The top producer for all of 1993 for Agri-Mark was Castonguay Ayrshires of Livermore Falls. Operated by Ed and Ruth Castonguay and family, the farm will receive a check for $500 in addition to $200 for having the best quality record in their region.

The Castonguays started their farm in 1986 as a 4-H project with four Ayrshire heifers. When Ed Castonguay went out on strike in 1987 after 18 years at International Paper Co., the family chose to try full-time dairy farming.

The farm milks 34 registered Ayrshires and raises 60 head for replacements. Ed Castonguay is back at work at IP, but he and Ruth and their two sons, Christopher, now at Dartmouth College, and Peter, a high school senior, and their daughter, Mary, a high school sophomore, operate the farm.

First place in the central Maine region went to Dana and Marie Huff of Wellington, followed by Goodwill Home Association of Hinckley.

Only one Maine producer was awarded a quality premium for every month in 1993, and that was the University of Maine.

Other central Maine award winners were: Robert Bridge & Steven Hartford; Emery and Carol Cole; James D. Connolly; Frank and Roxanna Crosby; Cummings Farm; Wayne and Barbara Cunningham; Galen Derosier; James Devine; Jack and Jessica Dickson; Ivan Estes; Stephen G. Fowler Sr.; Arnold Hamm; Lincoln and Peggy Hawes; Don, Doris and Robert Heath; C. Milton and Priscilla Henshaw; Richard C. Hill; Howard Farms; Ronald and Yvette Lamarche; William Lawlor; Earl A. LeHay; Leon and Julie Levellie; Clive McGowan; Kemp McLaughlin; Harold E. Moody; Donald A Perkins; James J. Rattigan; George and Margaret Russell; Wayne Shaw; Stonyvale Inc.; Richard and Linda Suga; William and Lori Terry; Lawrence and Frances Trafton; University of Maine; Kenneth Veazie; Melvin and Carol Williams; Donis L. Willigar; and The Wright Place.