Smithfield Food’s Farmland brand is already having a banner year supporting the next generation in agriculture through an FFA donation campaign earlier this season. Now, Farmland has partnered with the nation’s top farmland preservation organization to support the sustainability of the land that sustains all of us.
Through Dec. 31, 2019, Farmland has pledged to protect one square foot of American farmland for every Pure Farmland item purchased, by donating funds from these products to the American Farmland Trust to further its mission.
With 175 acres of farm and ranch land lost every hour in the U.S., the American Farmland Trust understands the risk to irreplaceable natural resource. As the country continues to lose farmland at such a rapid rate (detailed extensively in the Trust’s Farms Under Threat report released in May), Americans face a future where the ability to feed families is seriously compromised.
Here’s what’s going to happen. For every package sold of the new Pure Farmland product line, Farmland will donate the cost of protecting one square foot of farmland, up to $140,000. These donations will help the American Farmland Trust continue to further its mission of not only protecting the nation’s farm and ranch land but also promoting sound farming practices and supporting farmers.
Farmland has a long-standing dedication to farmers, and the American Farmland Trust is the one national organization fighting to protect both farmland and the working farmer. The Trust is well-known for being behind the national “No Farms No Food” movement.
“Our future depends on having enough farmland to both feed us and restore our planet. And this requires a holistic vision of the future: one that acknowledges farmland as irreplaceable infrastructure we cannot afford to lose; that sees farming practices that improve soil health as necessary for that land to serve us in perpetuity; and that views farmers as the stewards of that land, worthy of our fervent support –because at heart, what these farmers do is for all of us,” says John Piotti, president and CEO, AFT.
