Matthew Raiford served in the Army for 9 years, including deployments in support of Desert Storm. After his service, Matthew built a successful culinary career. Through his interest in food and his families farming legacy Matthew and sister Althea decided to reclaim the family farm for production agriculture
The siblings are the sixth generation of African-American farmers to farm the land in coastal Georgia. They raise organic fruits trees and mixed vegetables, as well as pastured poultry and hogs. Through the Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund Matthew was awarded with an Innovators in Agriculture grant from the Newman’s Own Foundation.
With his grant, Matthew will purchase poultry processing equipment to help kick-start his poultry business. These purchases have enabled the siblings to grow their farm and create a foundation for future Raiford farmers.