Dinner Down at the Orchard -Schnepf Farms Photo Credit: WKenney
“We hope that many consumers will be a friend to farms and join us at the table during the national Dine Out for Farms Week October 10-16,” says Jon Scholl, President of American Farmland Trust (AFT).
“Restaurants in 17 states signed up to participate in this inaugural event because the chefs recognize the need to protect America’s farmland and support family farmers. Farmland is a key ingredient that farmers need to be able to grow provisions for restaurateurs and our own kitchen tables.”
Dine Out for Farms is a national, weeklong event that will bring together restaurants and consumers together across the country to support a sustainable future for America’s farms. From October 10-16, 2010, participating restaurants across the country will raise funds for AFT’s programs that support farms and help save the land that sustains us. Locate participating restaurants at the Dine Out for Farms website: www.farmland.org/dineout.
Raising consciousness about the issue of protecting farmland and keeping farms economically viable is at the heart of AFT’s work. “It’s never been more critical than it is today for diners and consumers to reconnect with the farmers who grow their food. That’s not only so we can have farm-fresh food but also because of the critical issues facing our nation-including food security and healthier diets,” Scholl adds. “The United States has been losing nearly one million acres of farmland each year, and the farms and farmland most under threat are near cities where the majority of our dairy, fresh fruits and vegetables are grown.”
“Without land, there will be no farms. Without farms, there will be no food.
That equation sounds simple enough to us, but the work to make it right is worth all the praise in the world,” says Oliver Monday with The Market Restaurant in Gloucester, Massachusetts. “We are thrilled to be joining the Dine Out for Farms effort in support of sustainable, small-scale, local, diversified agriculture-without which we wouldn’t have a restaurant! AFT does well to bring as many stakeholders as possible to the dinner table. We are excited and honored to be joining the conversation about the future of agriculture in America.”
“Dining out for farms and farmland provides an easy way to show support for the growing movement around farms and food,” adds Scholl. “Supporting our farmers and saving farmland is something that is important at the local, state and national levels-and essential so we all can enjoy farm fresh food and a sustainable farm and food system in this country.”
“We hope that people who love farms will show their support for American Farmland Trust by dining out often during the Dine Out for Farms Week October 10-16,” Scholl concludes.
American Farmland Trust is the nation’s leading conservation organization dedicated to saving America’s farm and ranch land, promoting environmentally sound farming practices and supporting a sustainable future for farms. Since its founding in 1980 by a group of farmers and citizens concerned about the rapid loss of farmland to development, AFT has helped save millions of acres of farmland from development and led the way for the adoption of conservation practices on millions more.