Celebrity Chef Curtis Stone and Chef Mike Lata of FIG recently held a fundraiser in Stone's successful Beverly Hills restaurant, Maude. Stone and his friends are taking a stance in the country's growing need for farmers. According to Modern Farmer, there's a massive need for new farmers to replace the retiring population of the older ones.
The average age of farmers in the U.S. is 58.3 years. It was projected that in the next 25 years, more than one-fourth of all farmers are expected to retire. It would require 700,000 people to replace them. According to National Young Farmer's Coalition (NYFC), between 2007 and 2012, the number of increase in farmers is only 1,200.
The Australian native is hosting a series of fundraisers in support of the cause #MoreFarmers. In the first of six fundraisers, the highlight of the dinner was to bring awareness to the dire conditions of the young members of the sector. According to Vice, Chelsey Simpson, communications director for NYFC said before the dinner "Less than six percent of farmers in the US are below the age of 35 years old, and the few young farmers that are around have an average debt of $35,000."
Stone told Vice, "It's so important to us in our profession, because if we don't have farmers, we don't have restaurants - that's clearly how it goes." Stone's hip restaurant, Maude, is known for a unique meal service. One seasonal ingredient is highlighted for each month and this key ingredient shall be the focal point of a nine-course meal during the given month. The key ingredients that Stone's highlights in his menus are all locally sourced.
NYFC is excited with the collaboration with Curtis Stone. Simpson says "We think Curtis is a great partner for our work - he has been dedicated to supporting local farmers since the beginning of his career, and the sourcing model he uses at Maude is really inspiring." She went on to add "He's also extremely professional and warm, and he works with a great team, so we're excited about the collaboration."
The movement to support and raise awareness for local farmers is #MoreFarmers in Twitter. Stone and his friends are going to continue raising awareness using this hashtag on Twitter conversations for succeeding fundraiser events.
