[Pollinator] 100,000 acres of pollinator habitat by 2020

Tue Apr 5 06:32:03 PDT 2016

For several years, the Xerces Society has been working with Cascadian Farm
to promote awareness of pollinators and take action to protect them.
Yesterday, Cascadian Farm announced a commitment to create 100,000 acres of
pollinator habitat on its supplier farms in the next few years. Here’s
their press release.

Matthew

*************************

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cascadian-farm-commits-to-funding-pollinator-habitat-at-organic-supplier-farms-by-2020-300245147.html

Cascadian Farm™ Commits to Funding Pollinator Habitat at Organic Supplier
Farms by 2020

Apr 04, 2016, 09:00 ET from Cascadian Farm

MINNEAPOLIS, April 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Cascadian Farm, a certified
organic food brand founded in 1972, has announced that they will be working
with the Xerces Society to plant 100,000 acres of pollinator habitat at the
brand's supplier farms by the end of 2020. Cascadian Farm has been working
with The Xerces Society, a leader in pollinator conservation, for several
years to protect pollinators and their habitat. This expanded partnership
represents a first-of-its kind effort to conserve pollinators, bringing
together an organic brand, farmers, and scientists to work on this shared
goal.

Pollinators – chiefly bees – are necessary for the reproduction of nearly
85 percent of the world's flowering plants. Yet, since 2006, regions around
the world have been reporting an average annual loss of 30 percent of
worker honey bee populations

·         Cascadian Farm, a certified organic food brand, has committed to
funding 100,000 acres of pollinator habitat planting on its supplier farms
by 2020.

·

The U.S. Interagency Presidential Pollinator Health Task Force identifies
and lays out strategies for the multiple stressors on pollinator health:
habitat loss, poor nutrition due to reduced food diversity, viral and
parasitic diseases and pesticide exposure.

"Cascadian Farm has chosen to focus on pollinator habitat as a solution,
given our brand's connection to nature," said Stephanie Moffat, associate
marketing manager for Cascadian Farm. "As a pioneer in the organic food
industry, we are excited to use our scale to aid in this important cause."

The Xerces Society's Eric Lee-Mӓder, Pollinator Program Co-Director, adds,
"Cascadian Farm represents one of the most respected, credible, and leading
edge brands in the organic and natural foods sector. Beyond simply
embracing this concept and working to truly make pollinator conservation a
central part of the brand's mission, this partnership sets a high bar for
the rest of the food industry. We believe this is a huge and critical step
for ensuring a secure future for pollinators."

Cascadian Farm has worked to protect pollinators over the past several
years. Efforts such as an on-package "bee-friendlier" donation code and
Buzz Crunch cereal have led to contributions of more than $200,000 over the
past two years to the Xerces Society and University of Minnesota Bee Lab.
Additionally, Cascadian's home farm in Skagit Valley, Washington,
demonstrates the brand's commitment by using pollinator-friendly organic
farming practices. For example, the farm uses a diverse crop production
system with different crops blooming at different times. Also, the farm has
leveraged Xerces' pollinator habitat evaluation tool, which led to planting
a flowering summer blooming cover crop and planning for a fall-blooming
native wildflower meadow.

*ABOUT CASCADIAN FARM*

Since 1972, Cascadian Farm has grown beyond our original farm and is
recognized as a pioneer in converting conventional farms to organic. We
were organic before "organic" was a trend, and even before it was certified
by the USDA. From day one, we've farmed in a way that helps to preserve the
soil, and safeguards the rivers and streams around us, working in harmony
with the land.

*ABOUT XERCES*

The Xerces Society is a non-profit conservation organization dedicated to
the protection of bees, butterflies, and other invertebrate wildlife. For
over forty years, the Society has been at the forefront of invertebrate
protection worldwide, harnessing the knowledge of scientists and the
enthusiasm of citizens to implement conservation programs.

________

*Matthew Shepherd*

Communications Director

*[image: Xerces-logo-CMYK-email_Outlook]*

*Protecting the Life that Sustains Us*

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Tel: (503) 232-6639 ext. 110; Toll free: 1-855-232 6639 ext. 110; Cell:
(503) 807-1577

matthew.shepherd at xerces.org
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