Annual organic ag endowment gifted from Clif Bar

EMERYVILLE, CALIF. — Clif Bar & Co. has introduced that it will present a $1 million endowment to the College of Wisconsin-Madison to further the analyze and development of natural and organic agriculture. The endowment will particularly guidance the operate of Erin Silva, PhD, a professor at the university’s College or university of Agriculture and Life Sciences and professional in natural agricultural analysis. A matching opportunity for endowed professorships from UW-Madison alumni John and Tashia Morgridge will increase the reward to $2 million.

“Public/non-public collaborations are essential to generate innovation in agriculture,” explained Kate VandenBosch, dean of UW-Madison CALS. “Funding from Clif Bar offers the flexibility for a proficient, artistic professor like Dr. Silva to extend her do the job to larger audiences. This generous present will let Erin to boost the variety of farmers she performs with and grow the quantity of existing learners who can discover far more deeply about organic and natural agriculture.”

Due to the fact 2015, Clif Bar has been producing annual endowment items to land-grant institutions in an work to grow natural and organic agriculture exploration. The UW-Madison also obtained the to start with Clif Bar grant, awarded to concentration specifically on organic and natural corn breeding.

More than 80% of the components made use of in Clif Bar products are organic or licensed sustainable, according to the firm, and because 2003 Clif Bar has acquired a lot more than 1 billion lbs of natural and organic substances.  

“Clif Bar has been fully commited to investing in organic and natural for virtually 20 many years mainly because we acknowledge the gains for people today, communities and the planet,” said Sarah Beaubien, senior director of sustainability effects at Clif Bar. “With agricultural investigate receiving significantly less than 1% of community funding, this endowment plan is intended to fund the most effective and brightest minds to assist travel the organics marketplace forward and fulfill the increasing client need for natural foodstuff.”