USDA NYS Farm Service Director has Ithaca Connection

The Obama Administration announced today that Jim Barber, a Cornell alum, will serve as state executive director for the Farm Service Agency in New York.

According to a press release, "Barber is very active on agricultural organizations and co-founded NY Farms!, an organization that developed the Farm-to-School program which was later adopted by the State. He has been the 5th generation farm owner and operator of Embar Farms for 19 years. Barber holds a bachelor's degree in general agriculture from Cornell University."

The Farm Service Agency administers and manages farm commodity, credit, conservation, disaster and loan programs created by Congress.  The Agency provides loans for farm equipment, seed and fertilizer, in addition to housing funds for rural people. The Agency also buys commodities for low-income food assistance programs.