Stonyfield Organic and the New Hampshire Fisher Cats Team Up to Convert Fisher Cats Home Field to Organic Grounds Management

MANCHESTER, N.H., April 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Stonyfield Organic, the country's leading yogurt maker, has teamed up with its hometown team the New Hampshire Fisher Cats to convert the field at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium to organic grounds management, making the Fisher Cats' home field the first field to be organically managed in all of professional baseball.  The field conversion at the Fisher Cats' home stadium will begin this spring and will transition over two years; the conversion to organic grounds management will not impact regular season play.  

The move comes as part of Stonyfield's larger #PlayFree initiative, which aims to help convert public parks and playing fields across the country to organic grounds management to ensure community spaces are free from the use of harmful pesticides. The issue of pesticides on public parks and fields is one that continues to gain national attention as the safety of widely-used pesticides like glyphosate, which the World Health Organization's Cancer Agency, IARC, has identified as a probable carcinogen, are increasingly being called into question.

"We're on a mission to convert parks and playing fields all across the country to organic grounds management, but we couldn't overlook our own backyard," says Stonyfield co-founder and Chief Organic Optimist Gary Hirshberg. "Converting the home field of our hometown team was a natural fit and we're thrilled to help give our Fisher Cats the organic ball field they deserve. We hope it inspires other teams to do the same, for the health and safety of their players and fans."

"We've done a lot of research this offseason while working with a consultant, and we're thrilled to collaborate with Stonyfield as we transition our field management from synthetic fertilizers to organic," said Fisher Cats President Mike Ramshaw. "We're committed to Stonyfield's #PlayFree initiative, and are excited to make this a reality."

Stonyfield Organic aims to empower families everywhere with the tools and resources to make change anywhere, from their own yard to their local parks and fields.  For more information, visit https://www.stonyfield.com/playfree and follow Stonyfield's progress on social media using the #PlayFree.

About Stonyfield Organic
As the country's leading organic yogurt maker, Stonyfield takes care with everything it puts into its products and everything it keeps out. By saying no to toxic persistent pesticides, artificial hormones, antibiotics and GMOs, Stonyfield has been saying yes to healthy food, healthy people, and a healthy planet for 35 years. Stonyfield, a Certified B-Corp, is also helping to protect and preserve the next generation of farmers and families through programs like its Direct Milk Supply and Wolfe's Neck Organic Training Program as well as StonyFIELDS, a nationwide, multi-year initiative to help keep families free from pesticides in parks and playing fields across the country.

About the New Hampshire Fisher Cats
The New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, have welcomed over five million fans to their beautiful ballpark in Manchester since their inaugural season in 2004. The team plays at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium, New Hampshire's premiere outdoor entertainment destination for affordable family fun. Readers of Parenting New Hampshire Magazine have voted the Fisher Cats "NH's Favorite Sporting Event for Families" for seven years running, and the team has been voted New Hampshire Magazine's "Best New Hampshire Sports Team" for each of the last nine years. The franchise was nominated for the John H. Johnson President's Award in 2018, which recognizes Minor League Baseball's most complete franchise. The Fisher Cats have won three Eastern League Championships in their 15 seasons in Manchester, including a title in 2018. 

Contact:
Tori Partykevich
617-585-5783
[email protected]

SOURCE Stonyfield Organic

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