LETT

ER F

ROM

KIT

Long before the scientific studies began to appear about the benefits of organic farming, Gary and I knew that we wanted Clif Bar to be organic. Our commitment to the environment came naturally, as it did for many of us growing up during the ’60s and ’70s. In our hometown of Fremont, California, we experienced the loss of nature on an almost daily basis. We saw apricot orchards plowed into suburbs, walnut groves bulldozed into shopping centers, and the foothills above my home divided by Highway 680. At the same time, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring sounded the alarm about the dangers of DDT to the natural world. I remember feeling deeply moved by television news about the impact of pesticides on the health of farmworkers children and communities in the nearby Central Valley. The environmental movement was coming into its own: In April 1970 we celebrated the first Earth Day, and later the founding of the EPA and the passing of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts. We also saw the first organic foods come to market.

Thirty-one years later, on Earth Day 2001, we launched Clif Bar & Company’s sustainability program with a commitment to organic food as its foundation. I knew in my heart that this was the right way to go and in 2003, our signature Clif Bar became certified organic. As a food company, we see the connections between food, health, and the environment every day: The kind of food we put in our bodies affects our health; the way that food is grown, packaged, and shipped affects the environment; and the environment affects the health of all living things.

This fall, Gary and I will be hitting the road to introduce our new organic fruit and nut bar—near and dear to my heart—Kit’s Organic, and to meet people across the country who share our interest in food and health. From where we sit—on the seat of a bicycle or a tractor or an RV running on biodiesel—we’re encouraged that the food choices we make three times a day can positively impact our health and our environment.

Enjoy this issue of Moving Toward Sustainability—its mission has always been to educate, but we hope it will also inspire.

FOOD. HEALTH. ENVIRONMENT. THEY’RE ALL CONNECTED.

Distributed by Clif Bar & Company, Emeryville, CA 94608 U.S.A. 1-800-CLIFBAR M–F 8–5 PST • clifbar.com • © 2012 Clif Bar & CompanyPrinted on New Leaf paper, 100% recycled, 60% post-consumer content, processed chlorine-free with vegetable-based inks. CBC12.635

The food choices we make three times a day can posi-tively impact our health and our environment.

Kit Crawford Co-Owner and Co-CEO of Clif Bar & CompanyPresident, Clif Bar Family Foundation

Phot

o cr

edit:

Bria

na F

orgi

e

WO

RK

ING

TO

RE

DU

CE

OU

R E

CO

LO

GIC

AL F

OO

TP

RIN

TCl

if Ba

r Sus

tain

abili

ty N

ewsl

ette

r / F

all 2

012

MU

LTIP

LE B

ENEF

ITS

OF O

RGAN

IC

23

LETT

ER F

ROM

TH

E ED

ITOR

Special thanks to all of our Clif Bar & Company contributors:Christine Bunting, Chris Crowther, Cassie Cyphers, Matthew Dillon, Tara DelloIacono-Thies, Sue Hearn, Dean Mayer, Katie Parker, Alisha Sutton, Cassandra Todd

Moving Toward Sustainability is a newsletter intended to keep Clif Bar & Company employees, friends, and family connected with the vision, direction, and activities of our sustainability program.

KEVIN CLEARYPresident

ELYSA HAMMONDEcologist, Director of Environmental Stewardship

THAO PHAMExecutive Director, Clif Bar Family Foundation

CASSIE CYPHERSCommunity/Planet Programs Manager

ELLA ROSENBLOOMSustainable Food Systems Manager

CHANDLER KNEERSenior Analyst, Supply Chain and Climate Program

EVERY EMPLOYEE AT CLIF BAR

MOVING TOWARD SUSTAINABILITY

ELYSA HAMMOND & THAO PHAMEditors

MIJA RIEDELManaging Editor

JOHN MARINCreative Director

JOHN TAYLORDesign Director

VERONICA CIPTODesigner

SARAH COLEMANIllustrator

KIM NOGAYProduction

SANDY BIAGIPrint Management

SUSTAINABILITY GROUP

GARY ERICKSON & KIT CRAWFORDCo-Owners and Co-CEOs

This year marks not only Clif Bar’s 20th anniversary, but also the 20th anniversary of the Earth Summit. In 1992, hundreds of global leaders came together in Rio de Janeiro to craft commitments to sustainable development, along with critically needed conventions on climate change and biodiversity. The conference ended with a sense of hope and vision and with clearly set goals.

Twenty years later, in June of 2012, heads of state and NGOs reconvened to consider their progress. Most agreed that there had been little improvement, and many prominent leaders had grown less committed. So where does that leave us?

I think we must respond by accepting greater responsibility––as business leaders, as individuals, and as active citizens. As I write this letter, I feel both sadness––we’ve missed the mark set at the Earth Summit in 1992––as well as excitement and hope that true grassroots change is underway. Two of the most promising areas link directly with our sustainability efforts at Clif Bar: the growth of the good food movement––including organic, sustainable farming practices worldwide––and the growth of climate leadership among green businesses.

Ten years ago, we began to measure and offset Clif Bar’s climate footprint. That choice set in motion dozens of other changes in the way we do business, from internal efforts like our Cool Commute program and the solar array on our new LEED-certified office, to more far-reaching efforts to promote sustainability in our supply chain. At the same time, our commitment to organic agriculture has grown steadily and along with it, the benefits that organic offers to public health, our planet, and our economy. Just recently, the National Academy of Sciences recognized organic and ecological farming as transforma-tional practices that, by their very nature, offer multiple solutions to numerous problems.

We’re dedicating the 20th anniversary issue of Moving Toward Sustainability to the multiple benefits of organic. This issue includes articles from three outside experts in economics, environment, and organic agriculture. We also introduce Clif Bar’s new sustainability metrics, designed to better understand our own evolving organic story.

Wendell Berry, poet, farmer, and environmental activist, summed it up perfectly: “A good solution solves more than one problem, and it does not make new problems.”

With ever warming regards,

ORGANIC FARMING: ONE SOLUTION FOR MULTIPLE CHALLENGES

Elysa Hammond Ecologist and Director of Environmental Stewardship

16%MOREU.S. JOBS

CLIF BAR USE OF ORGANIC INGREDIENTS }

COMPARED TO NON-ORGANIC INGREDIENTS

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

1800

1600

1400

1200

1000

800

600

400

200

0

Year

Fert

ilize

rs A

void

ed (t

hous

and

poun

ds)

FERTILIZERS AVOIDED BY OUR PURCHASE OF ORGANIC OATS AND SOY

Fertilizers-Nitrogen

Fertilizers-Phosphate

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

Year

Pest

icid

es A

void

ed (t

hous

and

poun

ds)

PESTICIDES AVOIDED BY OUR PURCHASE OF ORGANIC OATS AND SOY

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

70

65

60

55

50

45

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

Year

Orga

nic

Ingr

edie

nts

(mill

ion

poun

ds)

RAISING THE SUSTAINABLE BAR: EXPLORING NEW METRICS FOR ORGANIC

OUR INCREASING USE OF ORGANIC INGREDIENTSOver the past 10 years, we’ve purchased nearly 250 million pounds of organic ingredients. Currently, 71% of all the ingredients we buy are certified organic. Our goal is to reach80% USDA organic or certified sustainable by 2015.

ORGANIC GROWS JOBS Research by economist Dr. Allen Rosenfeld shows that Clif Bar’s use of organic ingredients generated 16% more U.S. jobs in 2010 than would have been created if we had not used any organic ingredients. For every person employed by Clif Bar, 35 jobs were created nationwide (through our supply chain, manufacturing, marketing, transportation, and retail sales).

This year we’ve started a journey to quantify the multiple benefits of Clif Bar’s purchase of organic ingredients. Here you’ll also find the results of our own job creation study and a summary of the agricultural chemicals that we’ve avoided by purchasing organically grown oats and soy, our two primary ingredients.

To quantify the pesticides (insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides) and fertilizers avoided by our use of organic oats and soy, we first converted each processed ingredient to pounds of raw agricultural commodities needed, and the number of acres required for each year’s production from 2003–2011. Multiplying acres by the national average pesticide and fertilizer application rates per acre for the two crops yielded the total amount of pesticides and fertilizers avoided by our use of organic oats and soy.*

Although oats and soy make up less than 30% of our total organic purchases, the amount of agricultural chemicals avoided is substantial: Since 2003, through our purchase of organic, we’ve prevented the application of 30,000 pounds of pesticide active ingredients and more than six million pounds of chemical fertilizers for these two crops.

* Data on pesticides and fertilizers assessed in collaboration with Dr. Charles Benbrook, Director, Measure to Manage Program: Farm and Food Diagnostics for Sustainability and Health, Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources, Washington State University, Puyallup.

45

Learn more at www.ota.com

We attribute the overall job-creating advantage enjoyed by the organic foods industry largely to the following realities uncovered in our research:

• More hired farm labor per acre due mostly to the absence of chemical pesticides and fertilizers

• Fewer farm-commodity imports• The high capital intensity of agricultural chemical industries• Greater reliance on relatively labor-intensive, smaller retail outlets

As a result of the new study, we now have evidence that organic foods are not only good for the environment, but are also good for U.S. workers and the nation’s economy. The message is clear: Investments that encourage expansion of organic agriculture in the U.S. should be a priority.

government data, to estimate the amount of jobs, worker income, and profits created in the U.S. by the organic and conventional food industries supply chains, manufacturing, wholesaling, transportation, and retail sales. In carrying out the study, we analyzed government and university data on labor use, production costs, and net returns for organic and non-organic farms.

We found that in 2010, the U.S. organic foods industry was an economic dynamo. The industry created 572,000 jobs. That’s a striking 100,000, or 21%, more jobs than would have been created if the organic food industry’s retail sales that year ($26.7 billion) had been generated by the conventional food industry using all non-organic ingredients. And in 2010, the organic food industry added $29 billion to U.S. workers income, or more than a dollar in income for each dollar of retail sales––that’s about a 30% boost over the conventional food industry.

If 20% of U.S. food sales, not just 4%, were organic, it could mean the creation of nearly a half-million additional U.S. jobs.

We know it’s possible—Clif Bar went from 0% to 71% organic in less than 10 years.

IMAGINE

Plant breeders and organic farmers study red chard seed production.

“What’s good for the environment and what’s good for industry economics are not mutually exclusive. The organic food processing industry is creating jobs, stimulating our economy, and delivering the products that consumers increasingly demand.”

Congressman Sam Farr (CA-17)

In 2010, the U.S. organic foods industry created 572,000 jobs. That's a 21% boost over the job-creating power of conventional food and agriculture.

In March 2012, Clif Bar’s Elysa Hammond and I began talking about how to better understand the economic benefits of organic. We knew this information would be vital in building a case for the importance of organic agriculture in the upcoming federal Farm Bill. Organic has been one of the fastest growing sectors of the food industry, with an average annual rate of growth of sales of 16% for the past 10 years, compared to only 3.1% for the food industry as a whole. So, we were surprised to learn that an industry-wide economic analysis had never been done, and this study would be a first for the organic industry. Our conversation paved the way for the Organic Trade Association to commission M+R to conduct a study of the impact of the U.S. organic industry on the U.S. economy in 2010.

As an agricultural economist and veteran of five farm bills, I was well positioned and excited to lead the project. We harnessed IMPLAN’s state-of-the-art, input-output software, which uses 2010 federal

ORGANIC FOODS INDUSTRY CREATES MORE THAN A HALF-MILLION JOBSTHOUSANDS MORE JOBS CREATED THAN IN CONVENTIONAL FOOD INDUSTRY by Dr. Allen Rosenfeld, Economist and Senior Vice President, M+R Strategic Services

ECON

OMY

U.S. JOBS½ MILLION+

The surest and safest way

to reduce pesticide

exposures and risks is to

seek out organic foods.

For many years, concerned individuals and families have sought out organic food to reduce their exposures to risky pesticides, and now there’s solid government data showing that they are getting just what they paid for.

Pesticide risks are not created equal. For years, toxicologists explained to the general public that “the dose makes the poison,” but now admit this message is far too simplistic. The risks stemming from exposure to pesticides, or any chemical in the environment, are a function of the timing of exposure, the location of exposure (i.e., what tissues are exposed), the chemical’s inherent toxicity, and the dose level.1

The riskiest exposures are those that occur in the prenatal period, as a child develops in the womb, and in the first few years of a child’s life. This is when extraordinarily complex stages of development must proceed in precisely the correct way, at the right time, and also when hormone-triggered developmental processes are most vulnerable to disruption by chemicals that mimic or block the functions of natural hormones.

Science has now linked prenatal exposures to pesticides to greater risk of diabetes and obesity,2 as well as a suite of neurological

IMAGINE

REDUCE YOUR EXPOSURE TO PESTICIDES WITH AN ORGANIC DIET by Dr. Charles Benbrook, Director, Measure to Manage Program, Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources, Washington State University

problems including autism, ADHD, and loss of intelligence. A seminal study recently concluded that prenatal exposures to organophosphate (OP) insecticides are the third leading cause of reduced IQs, just behind lead exposure.3 In fact, the average OP insecticide levels in the blood of about 25% of adult women are high enough to place newborns at heightened risk.

The surest and safest way to reduce pesticide exposures and risks is to seek out organic foods, especially fresh fruits and vegetables.4 In 2009, the USDA did a special, intensive study of pesticide residues on organic lettuce (318 samples) and found 80% of the organic samples contained no residues, while every sample of conventional lettuce contained an average of nearly four different residues. The average pesticide risk level in the conventional lettuce samples was 120 times higher than in the organic samples.

In summary, switching to an organic diet results in an immediate and dramatic reduction in exposure to dietary pesticide residues. This news is of particular importance for children and pregnant women who are the most vulnerable to the impacts of toxic chemicals.

In the last issue of Moving Toward Sustainability, we reported on a comprehensive study, New Evidence Confirms the Nutritional Superiority of Plant-Based Organic Foods, which showed that organic foods are, on average, 25% more nutritious than the same food produced by conventional farming methods. That 2008 report, which drew on nearly 100 peer-reviewed studies and examined 236 matched pairs of organic and conventionally grown foods for 11 nutrients, remains the most thorough and rigorous summary study to date, and its findings are further supported by many of the 70 new studies that have been released in the following four years.

Of particular interest is a recent report by the University of Washington, released in 2010, which found organic strawberries to be more nutritious than conventional—nearly 10% richer in antioxidants and vitamin C—with higher concentrations of all-important, protective phytonutrients, including polyphenols, which is especially good news for people’s health.1 (The organic berries also left the soil healthier––more genetically diverse and with higher levels of carbon––and sensory panels found the strawberries to be sweeter and more flavorful than conventional berries.)

MULTIPLE BENEFITS OF PHYTONUTRIENTSPhytonutrients (also known as phytochemicals) are plant-based compounds believed to protect human health. Many phytonutrients, such as polyphenols, are also powerful antioxidants. Increasing one’s intake of specific phytonutrients can enhance cardiovascu-lar health, reduce cholesterol levels, suppress inflammation, and help prevent diseases such as cancer. Some studies have even shown that certain plant compounds can also protect memory and enhance athletic performance.

ORGANIC FARMING PRACTICES BOOST PHYTONUTRIENTSHow food is grown affects its nutritional quality. Organic farming practices, especially the use of compost, manure, and other natural fertilizers rather than synthetic nitrate fertiliz-ers, are among the factors that can markedly––and in some cases dramatically––increase the concentration of phytonutrients (and antioxidants) in food. The natural defense mechanisms of crops grown with artificial nutrients and pesticides decrease, resulting in reduced disease resistance and diluted content of the minerals, vitamins, and defense-related phytonutrients that also benefit people’s health. Just a small increase in the concentration of nutrients––as little as 10%––in many nutrient-rich foods like blueberries and dark-green leafy vegetables can make a difference in the adequacy of daily nutrition. And choosing organic foods greatly reduces daily pesticide exposures and risk, too. Read the full report: www.organic-center.org/reportfiles/5367_Nutrient_Content_SSR_FINAL_V2.pdf

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:ORGANIC DELIVERS MORE NUTRIENTSby Tara DelloIacono-Thies, Manager of Nutrition Strategy, and Elysa Hammond, Director of Environmental Stewardship

We’ve always known that organic foods are better for the environment, and now scientific research has also demonstrated that organic foods often contain higher concentrations of the antioxidant-rich phytonutrients that fight disease.

What increased organic food production could mean for national public health: cleaner air and drinking water, healthier food and soils, and less exposure to toxic chemicals in rural farming communities.

1. See Vandenberg et al., 2012. “Hormones and Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: Low-Dose Effects and Nonmonotonic Dose Responses,”Vol. 33 (3): pages 378–455.

2. A study in PLoS ONE linked long-term atrazine exposure to increased risk of insulin resistance, obesity, and diabetes (Lim et al., 2009.“Chronic Exposure to the herbicide, Atrazine, Causes Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Insulin Resistance,” PLoS ONE, Vol. 4 (4):e5186).

3. Prenatal exposures to organophosphate (OP) insecticides were the third leading cause of lost IQ in a seminal paper by David Bellinger published in Environmental Health Perspectives (Vol. 20 (4): pages 501–507).

4. Dr. Chensheng (Alex) Lu, Harvard School of Public Health. See Lu et al., 2008, “Dietary intake and its contribution to longitudinal organophosphorus pesticide exposure in urban/suburban children,” Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 116. (4): pages 537–542; or Lu, et al., 2006. “Organic Diets Significantly Lower Children’s Dietary Exposure to Organophosphorus Pesticides,” Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 114 (2): pages 260–263.

1. Reganold JP, Andrews PK, Reeve JR, Carpenter-Boggs L, Schadt CW, et al. (2010) Fruit and Soil Quality of Organic and Conventional Strawberry Agroecosystems. PLoS ONE 5(9): e12346. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0012346.

The health benefits of organic foods are twofold: They contain little-to-no pesticide residue, and hence reduce pesticide risks, and they contain, on average, higher levels of antioxidants, thereby promoting health and disease prevention.

67

i Dose Re

Graduate students at the Organic Student Seed Symposium, sponsored by Seed Matters, discuss breeding the new Purple Rose variety of tomato for antioxidants.

25%MORENUTRIENTS

ORGANIC FOODS CONTAIN, ON AVERAGE,

HEA

LTH

1. Atrazine: Science under siege, Pesticide Action Network North America, www.panna.org/current-campaigns/atrazine.

2. Atrazine: Poisoning the Well, Natural Resources Defense Council, www.nrdc.org/health/atrazine.

IMAGINE

If all 160 million acres of conventional corn and soybeans in the U.S. were converted to organic production—that could translate to a climate benefit equal to taking 25% of U.S. cars (58.7 million!) off the road.

MILLION CARSOFF THE ROAD IN THE U.S.58.7

1. Ziesemer, J. 2007. Energy Use in Organic Food Systems. United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization. www.fao.org/docs/eims/upload/233069/energy-use-oa.pdf.

ORGANIC = LESS FOSSIL FUELS Organic farms have lower energy footprints compared to industrial farming systems. The U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization found that organic farms use 30%–50% less energy than conventional farms.1 This is mainly because organic farms don’t use fossil-fuel-based fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides, which require huge amounts of energy. Instead, organic systems use compost, manure, crop rotation, cover crops, and increased biodiversity to provide nutrients and manage pests. These practices reduce on-farm emissions of both carbon dioxide (CO2), the most common greenhouse gas, and nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas with almost 300 times the heat-trapping power of carbon.

ORGANIC = MORE SOIL CARBON Organic farms and ranches, with their focus on soil health, also store or “sequester” more carbon in the soil, making farmland a sink rather than a source of CO2. Long-term studies in California and Maryland show carbon sequestration was increased in organic systems by 15%–36% compared to conventional fields. Promoting the adoption of organic practices gives us an effective and affordable way to slow down climate change with tools already at hand, buying us time to shift to a clean energy economy.

ORGANIC AGRICULTURE FIGHTS GLOBAL WARMING (AND BENEFITS WATER AND SOIL TOO)by Renata Brillinger, Executive Director, California Climate and Agriculture Network

ORGANIC = MORE RESILIENCYSoils high in organic matter provide another solution: They absorb and retain more water, serving as a reservoir for what will be an increasingly scarce natural resource, especially in the arid West and during droughts. Lowered demand for water also means lower electricity needs for pumping, and this too reduces CO2 emissions. In addition to storing water, soils rich in organic matter have fewer problems with pests, and resist erosion, both critically important benefits as farmers face more extreme weather events.

Although economics, data, and growing consumer demand favor organic production, our farming system will not transform itself without our efforts. More research and assistance are needed on best practices. Organic seed breeding must be ramped up. And many growers will need incentives to make the transition. Communities, the business sector, and governments must invest in a transformation to organic agriculture—and reap the many rewards.

California Climate and Agriculture Network (CalCAN) is a coalition of organic and sustainable agriculture organizations that advances policies to support agriculture in the face of climate change. See www.calclimateag.org for more information.

Research shows that, compared to industrial agriculture, organic farming practices:

30%-50%

GREATER ECONOMIC AND ECOLOGICAL RESILIENCY IN

USE

MAYSTORE

PROMOTE

LESS FOSSILFUEL ENERGY

¹/³MORE CARBONIN THE SOIL

THE FACE OF DROUGHTS ANDEXTREME WEATHER EVENTS.

ENVI

RON

MEN

T

89

In 2010, a White House panel released the groundbreaking report Reducing Environmen-tal Cancer Risk: What We Can Do Now, which affirmed what our partners at the Breast Cancer Fund have been saying for years: The connection between toxic chemicals and cancer has been vastly underestimated. Pesticides (including insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides) are of particular concern. They’re specifically formulated to be toxic to living organisms. The herbicide atrazine, for example, is an endocrine-disrupting compound that’s linked to birth defects and other cancers. It’s found in drinking water more oftenthan any other pesticide.1 In a 2008 study, USDA scientists found atrazine in over 90% of drinking water samples. Atrazine has been leaching into rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and even tap water for decades. The European Union banned it in 2004, but atrazine is still the most widely used herbicide in the U.S. (over 76 million pounds annually).2

PESTICIDES, WATER, AND HEALTHH

EALT

H

The current, record-setting floods, forest fires, droughts, and heat waves make it hard to ignore our climate crisis. Our farming systems are especially vulnerable, as the devastating 2012 drought in the U.S. Corn Belt made alarmingly clear. Climate chaos compels us to consider creative solutions.

KEY:

ORORORORO GAGAGAANINININN C C C C SESESEESSEEDEDEDDEDE RRRRESESESESEAEAEAEAEARCRCRCCRCHH H HH ANANANND D D D EDEDEDEDEDUCUCUCUCATATATATA IOIOIOONNNN GRGRGRGRRRANANANANANTSTSTSTST

FARMER SEED STEWARDSHIP

SEED MATTERS FELLOWSHIPS

COMMUNITY SEED TOOLKITS

1011

SNSNSNSNS APAPAPAP BBBBEAEAEAAEAANSNSNSNSSNUNIUNIUNINUNU VERVERVERVERVEVV SITSITSITSITSITY OY OY OY OY OOF WF WF WF WF WF WISCISCISCISCISCSCONSONSONSONSONSON ININNININ————MADMADMADMADMADISOISOSOISOISOISON,N,N,N,NN, WIWWIWIWWIW

STSTSTSTSTS UDUDUDUDU ENENENENNT T TTORORORORORORGAGAGAGGANINININIC C CCCC SESESESES EDEDEDEDEDED SYSYSYSYYYMPMPMPMPMPOSOSOSOSOSIUIUIUUIUMMMMM————WOLWOLWOLWOLWOLOLOW COTCOTCOTCOTCOTCO T,T,T,,T, VTVTVTVTVVT

COCOCOOC RNRNRNNRFRAFRAFRAFRAFRANK NKNK NK NK KUTKUTKUTKUTKUTKAKAKAKAKAA—————DICDICDICDICDICKINKINKINKINKINSONSONSONSONSON, N, N, NN, NDDDDD

NATIONAL HEIRLOOM EXPO SANTA ROSA, CA

ORGANIC VARIETY TRIAL WORKSHOPSPORT TOWNSEND, WA

GRAINSPh.D. FELLOWSHIP,WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH— MOUNT VERNON, WA

FARMER SEED STEWARDSHIP EDUCATION —SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES

QUINOA AND COVER CROPSGRADUATE FELLOWSHIP, WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY—PULLMAN, WA

CORN Ph.D. FELLOWSHIP, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN— MADISON, WI

VEGETABLES

Ph.D. FELLOWSHIP, OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY —CORVALLIS, OR

COCOCOOCOVEVEVEVEERRRRRRR CRCRCRCRCC OPOPOPOPOPSSSSSSSCRSCRSCRSCRSCRSCREVEEVEEVEEVEVEEVEN CN CN CN C CCN COUNOUNOUNOUNOUNNTY TYTYTY TYY CO-CO-COCO-O-O-OP OP OP POOP O EXTEXTEXEXTEXTE ENSENSENSENSENSENSIONIONIONONNO

SERSERSERSERSERRSE VICVICVICVICVICESEESESESESS————SYLSYLSYLSYLSYLSY VANVANVANVANVANNIA,IA,IA,AIIA,IA, GAGAGGAGAGAA

BRBRBRBRBROCOCOCOCOCCOCOCOOCOCOLILIIILILNORNORNORNORNORN THTHTHTHTH CARCARCARCARCARAROLIOOLIOLOLILINA NA NANANAAA STASTASTASTASTASTATE TE TETTETE UNIUNIUNIUNNUN VERVERVERVEVERVERSITSITSITSITSITSITY MY MY MY MY MY MOUNOUNOUNOUNOUNNTAITAITAITATAIAIN N NNN

RESRESRESRESRESSEAREARAREAREAREARCH CHCH CHCHH STASTSTASTASTASTATIOTIOTIOTIOTIOT NNNNN————MILMILMILMILMILMILLSLS LS LSLS L RIVRIVRIVRIVRIVR ER,ER,ER,ER,ER,ER, NCNCNCNCNCC

SWSWSWSWSWWEEEEEEEET T T TT COCOCOCOCOOC RNRNRNRNRNRN LUPLUPLUPLUPLUPUP NEINEINEINEEINE KNKNKNKNKNKNOLLOLLLLOLLOLLL FAFAFAFAFAFARMRMRMRMRMM————WILWILWILWILWILWILLIALIALIALIAALIAAMS,MS,MS,MS,MS,S OROROROROROR

STSTSTSTTRARARAARAWBWBWBWBWBERERERERERRIRIRIRRIESESESESESWASWASWASWASWASWWASHINHINHIHINHINHINGTOGTOGTOGTOGTOON SN SN SN SN SSTATTATTATTATTATEE E E EUNIUNIUNIUNIUNUN VERVERVERRVEVERSITSITSITTSITTY/PY/PY/PY/PY/PY/PY UYAUYAUYAUYAUYUYALLULLULLULLULLUL P P PP PPRESRESESRESRESEAREAREAREAREAREARCHCHCHCHCHC & E& E& E& E& E& EXTEXTEXTEXTEXTEXTENSINSINSINSINSINS ON ON ON ONONOCENCENCENCENCENCE TERTERTERTERTERE —PU—PU—PU—PU—PUPUYALYALYALYALLYA LUPLUPLUPLUPULUP, W, W, W, WWWAAAAAA

LOOKING FOR MORE INFORMATION?

Seed Matters: seedmatters.orgState of Organic Seed Report: seedalliance.org/Publications/Out of Hand (report on seed concentration): www.farmertofarmercampaign.com

CLIF BAR FAMILY FOUNDATION AND ITS PARTNER COMPANIES HAVE COMMITTED OVER $1.25 MILLION TO SEED MATTERS.

In just over two years, this funding has helped establish research and education programs across the nation with Community Seed Toolkits; Plant Breeding Toolkits; Plant Breeding Guides for Organic Tomatoes, Sweet Corn, and Carrots; and GMO Contamination and Avoidance Testing Protocols for Seed Farmers, as well as the individual research and education programs described below.

1. Murphy, Kevin M.; Campbell, Kimberly G.; Lyon, Steven R.; and Jones, Stephen S., “Evidence of varietal adaptation to organic farming systems” (2007). Publications from USDA-ARS / UNL Faculty. Paper 422. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/usdaarsfacpub/422

2. Davis DR, Epp MD, Riordan HD. 2004. Changes in USDA food composition data for 43 garden crops, 1950 to 1999. J Am Coll Nutr23:669–82.

3. Dillon, M. and K. Hubbard. 2011. State of Organic Seed. Organic Seed Alliance/USDA-OREI. www.seedalliance.org/Publications/. Accessed 28 November 2011.

Seed Matters key goals:Conserve crop genetic diversity Protect farmers’ roles and rights as seed stewardsReinvigorate public seed research and educationThink of the goals as CPR for seed.

Seed is the critical first link in the food chain—and organic seed is the most underfunded and at-risk part of the organic food system.

Organic farmers struggle with limited seed choices due, in part, to an increasingly consolidated seed sector: Four of the world’s largest agrochemical companies own 50% of the world’s proprietary seed (and they’re not breeding seed for organic conditions). Yet organic seeds hold untapped potential for increased production, nutrition, drought tolerance, and resistance to pests and disease. Research shows that when farmers plant seeds bred to thrive in organic, regional conditions, productivity can increase by 20%.1

In order to face future food challenges, it’s essential that we support farmers’ roles as innovators and seed stewards, and conserve and develop crop genetic diversity. With this goal in mind, Clif Bar Family Foundation founded the Seed Matters initiative and has committed over $1 million to four new programs developed over the past two years:

1. Organic Seed Research and Education Grants diversify seed options for organic farmers, improving their success while lowering the ecological impact of food and fiber production.

2. Seed Matters Fellowships for graduate students in organic plant breeding support the next generation of leaders in organic research, policy, and entrepreneurship.

3. Farmer Seed Stewardship provides educational outreach and advocacy to support farmers’ abilities to save seed, and to plant seed free of contamination from genetic engineering.

4. Community Seed Toolkits provide communities with the resources to develop local seed gardens, libraries, exchanges, and other educational activities.

“Seed is a legacy we’ve inherited from generations of farmers and gardeners, and with that inheritance comes a responsibility to care for the diversity and beauty of seeds. Seed matters to all of us, so let’s work on it together.”

Kit CrawfordCo-Owner and Co-CEO, Clif Bar & Company President of Clif Bar Family Foundation

SEEDS BRED TO THRIVE IN ORGANIC AND REGIONAL CONDITIONS CAN INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY BY 20%.

20% Public spending on organic seed research has averaged less than $1 million per year over the last 15 years, while tens of millions are spent annually on seed research for conventional- biotech agriculture.3

Seeds bred for chemical agriculture have actually decreased nutrient levels in 39 crops.2

™

Tessa Peters, a Seed Matters fellow at the University of Wisconsin, is breeding sweet corn for organic systems, with particular focus on developing varieties for weed competition.

Seed Matters fellow Brook Brouwer discusses his barley research with Matthew Dillon, Director, Seed Matters.

by Matthew Dillon, Director of Seed Matters

SEED

S

LETT

ER F

ROM

KIT

Long before the scientific studies began to appear about the benefits of organic farming, Gary and I knew that we wanted Clif Bar to be organic. Our commitment to the environment came naturally, as it did for many of us growing up during the ’60s and ’70s. In our hometown of Fremont, California, we experienced the loss of nature on an almost daily basis. We saw apricot orchards plowed into suburbs, walnut groves bulldozed into shopping centers, and the foothills above my home divided by Highway 680. At the same time, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring sounded the alarm about the dangers of DDT to the natural world. I remember feeling deeply moved by television news about the impact of pesticides on the health of farmworkers children and communities in the nearby Central Valley. The environmental movement was coming into its own: In April 1970 we celebrated the first Earth Day, and later the founding of the EPA and the passing of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts. We also saw the first organic foods come to market.

Thirty-one years later, on Earth Day 2001, we launched Clif Bar & Company’s sustainability program with a commitment to organic food as its foundation. I knew in my heart that this was the right way to go and in 2003, our signature Clif Bar became certified organic. As a food company, we see the connections between food, health, and the environment every day: The kind of food we put in our bodies affects our health; the way that food is grown, packaged, and shipped affects the environment; and the environment affects the health of all living things.

This fall, Gary and I will be hitting the road to introduce our new organic fruit and nut bar—near and dear to my heart—Kit’s Organic, and to meet people across the country who share our interest in food and health. From where we sit—on the seat of a bicycle or a tractor or an RV running on biodiesel—we’re encouraged that the food choices we make three times a day can positively impact our health and our environment.

Enjoy this issue of Moving Toward Sustainability—its mission has always been to educate, but we hope it will also inspire.

FOOD. HEALTH. ENVIRONMENT. THEY’RE ALL CONNECTED.

Distributed by Clif Bar & Company, Emeryville, CA 94608 U.S.A. 1-800-CLIFBAR M–F 8–5 PST • clifbar.com • © 2012 Clif Bar & CompanyPrinted on New Leaf paper, 100% recycled, 60% post-consumer content, processed chlorine-free with vegetable-based inks. CBC12.635

The food choices we make three times a day can posi-tively impact our health and our environment.

Kit Crawford Co-Owner and Co-CEO of Clif Bar & CompanyPresident, Clif Bar Family Foundation

Phot

o cr

edit:

Bria

na F

orgi

e

WO

RK

ING

TO

RE

DU

CE

OU

R E

CO

LO

GIC

AL F

OO

TP

RIN

TCl

if Ba

r Sus

tain

abili

ty N

ewsl

ette

r / F

all 2

012