‘Charity’ flavor to support farmers

NORWICH, N.Y. » In honor of National Farmer’s Day, Oct. 12, yogurt company Chobani is celebrating the American dairy farmers who are the backbone of many rural communities and are facing deep challenges to their livelihood.

Building upon the company’s dairy industry initiative Milk Matters, Chobani is launching its second limited-edition charity flavor, called Farmer Batch, which is made in partnership with American Farmland Trust, a non-profit dedicated to saving the land that sustains us by protecting farmland, promoting sound farming practices and keeping farmers on the land.

Chobani is donating 10 cents from every purchase of the new Farmer Batch Chobani Greek Yogurt Milk & Cookies four-pack to AFT to offer multiple microgrants of up to $10,000 to help farmers transfer or protect their land, strengthen their farm business, or develop climate plans.

The company is also encouraging Chobani employees, local communities and fans to go on social media and # thankafarmer in their lives in celebration of National Farmer’s Day.

“At Chobani, we always try to use food as a force for good,” said Peter McGuinness, president of Chobani, in a press release. “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.”

Farmer Batch aligns with Chobani’s mission to help strengthen America’s milk shed at a time when many dairy farms are facing significant challenges. America has lost an average of five dairy farms per day for the past 10 years – a staggering 17,000 in all, according to the release.

“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,” said David Haight, AFT vice president of programs, in the release. “We are proud to stand beside Chobani in helping dairy farmers plan for the future as they face these daunting challenges.”