Latest Chobani flavor will benefit American Farmland Trust
Chobani announced today the release of a limited edition product, Farmer Batch. Flavored with milk and cookie pieces, the Greek yogurt four-pack will roll out across the US this month.
The campaign celebrates American dairy farmers, who Chobani says “are the backbone of many rural communities and are facing deep challenges to their livelihood.”
For each four-pack sold, Chobani will donate 10 cents to American Farmland Trust (AFT), a nonprofit that protects farmland, promotes sound farming practices and keeps farmers on their land. This will assist with microgrants of up to $10,000 to help farmers transfer or protect their land, strengthen their farm business, or develop climate plans.
Peter McGuinness, president of Chobani, said, "At Chobani, we always try to use food as a force for good. We believe the most important thing we can do is make a difference.
“And we want to continue our mission-led innovation to help make a meaningful difference in dairy for the communities we operate in, the farms we source from, and the fans for whom we make our food.”
The campaign builds off Chobani’s existing Milk Matters initiative, which focuses on environmental stewardship, animal care, worker wellbeing, local sourcing, economic opportunity and support for dairy farmers.
“America has lost an average of five dairy farms per day for the past 10 years – a staggering 17,000 in all,” Chobani said.
“Farmer Batch aligns with Chobani’s mission to help strengthen America’s milkshed at a time when many dairy farms are facing significant challenges.”
According to AFT, the US has lost more than 1.1m acres of farmland and ranchland this year. Since 1980, it has helped protect more than 6.5m acres, and reduced development pressure on 300m more.
AFT is currently working on projects nationwide, providing land access training, solar panel installation and river water cleanups. It expects one-third of all American farmland to change hands over the next 15 years, putting it at risk of being lost in a time where food production needs to increase, about 60% by 2050.
David Haight, VP of programs at AFT, sai,d “Dairy farms are critical parts of the economy and landscape in communities across America, but dairy farm families are facing tremendous change due to a weak dairy economy, disruptions from severe weather. and an aging farming population. We are proud to stand beside Chobani in helping dairy farmers plan for the future as they face these daunting challenges.”
