[video] Clif Bar highlights importance of young farmers

Earlier this year, Clif Bar announced a partnership with Organic Valley to spearhead a $10 million investment to fund organic agricultural research.

While interest in organic food is the highest it has ever been (84 percent of Americans purchased organic in 2014, according to the Consumer Reports Organic Food Labels Survey), tax dollars are not adequately allocated to organic research. “We can no longer depend on an agricultural system that is reliant on toxic chemicals,” said Kevin Cleary, CEO of Clif Bar. “We must instead invest in our organic future by spurring innovation and diversifying away from these temporary spray-on solutions."

To further support organic food, Clif Bar recently released a video that educates on family farms and the importance of preserving their future.

The average age of the American farmer is 58.3 years, Clif says. And there is a dire shortage of young farmers stepping up. One reason for this shortage? Rampant student debt prevents young people from being able to purchase land to farm after college. “Many young farmers want to return to the family farm or work their own land using organic and sustainable practices, but can’t afford to do it,” says Matthew Dillon, Clif Bar director of agricultural policy and programs, in a statement.

Clif partnered with the National Young Farmers Coalition to launch a campaign raising support for The Young Farmer Success Act of 2015, a law which “would forgive the balance of student loans for farmers who make 10 years of income-driven student loan payments,” according to a press release. The act would provide an incentive for young people to enter farming as a career.

Like the idea of more young farmers in America? Write to Congress here.