American Farmland Trust (AFT) is teaming up with Seal the Seasons to raise consumer awareness of the threats to the land that produces their food. North Carolina-based Seal the Seasons packages and markets frozen produce sourced from local family farms.
Washington, D.C.-based AFT organized the national movement No Farms No Food. Seal the Seasons will be sharing the story of AFT’s work in the regions where it sources its products, raising awareness for AFT’s “No Farms, No Food” movement.
The loss of America’s farmland, an aging farmer population and climate change are a few of the issues facing farming and agriculture. AFT works to support farmers by providing research and programs focused on these challenges.
“Our future depends on having enough farmland and farmers to both feed us and restore our planet. And this requires a community of advocates that embrace the 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 of AFT.
“This partnership will help consumers understand the threats to American farmland and further AFT’s mission of saving the land that sustains us by protecting farmland, promoting sound farming practices, and keeping farmers on the land,” he said. “We are grateful for Seal the Season’s support.”
“We have to acknowledge our impact on the planet and build a food system that works for farmers and alongside nature at the same time. We see supply chains and their most important component, farmland, as the most vital part of the food system. Our goal at Seal the Seasons is to move the focus back towards local sourcing that aligns with our family farms, our economy, and our planet,” says Patrick Mateer, founder of Seal the Seasons. “This partnership with American Farmland Trust will be instrumental in bringing farmer’s stories to the forefront so we can protect farmland and improve farming practices from their perspective.”
Since it was founded in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect more than 6.5 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally-sound farming practices on millions of additional acres, and supported thousands of farm families.
Seal the Seasons operates in four regions of the U.S.—Southeast, Northeast, Pacific Northwest and Midwest—with four to nine products available in each region. The company was founded in 2014 by Patrick Mateer, a local food entrepreneur who founded the company while in college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
