Clif Bar makers fund WSU plant research
A foundation started by the makers of Clif Bars will pay for two fellowships in organic plant breeding at Washington State University.
The fellowships will pay for five years of research by Ph.D. students under the direction of WSU professors Stephen Jones and Kevin Murphy.
Jones is known for his work with wheat farmers, millers and bakers to restore local grain economies. Murphy is breeding cover crops and heritage grains, such as quinoa and spelt.
Clif Bar Family Foundation, based in Emeryville, Calif., contributed $375,000 in grants for the fellowships. The grant will also fund organic sweet corn research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Clif Bar & Co. was started in 1992. The energy bars are made of organic ingredients.
Correction: This article originally stated that Clif Bar & Co. was started in 2006. The Family Foundation began in 2006, but the company was founded in 1992.