CENTERVILLE TO CAPITOL HILL Mr. Barbare goes to Washington

From Centerville to Capitol Hill, MR. BARBRE GOES

Growing up on his family’s farm in Centerville, Martin Ray Barbre knew he would never leave White County. As a young boy, he knew he would farm just like his father and grandfather before him. What he didn’t know was that one day he would be advocating for all of America’s agriculture producers from an office in Washington, D.C.

On April 30, 2018, Barbre received a presidential appointment to serve as Administrator of the USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA). Since then, his life has been a whirlwind of travel, meetings, and splitting time between White County and the nation’s capital. “Agriculture is my life, and, I’ve always liked being in leadership positions,” said Barbre. This position is the perfect fit for Barbre.

Despite the fact that Barbre was already known in Washington, as USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue had previously appointed him to the USDA’s Illinois Farm Service Agency State Committee, “the vetting process for the appointment was intense,” said Barbre. Officials came to White County to talk with Barbre’s friends and acquaintances.

In his role as administrator, Barbre oversees 350 people, 40 of those are based in Washington, D.C.“ The RMA consists of three divisions, including compliance, insurance services, and the big team, based in Kansas City, which oversees program management,” said Barbre.

The RMA was created in 1996 by the United States Department of

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Agriculture to serve American agriculture producers with effective, market-based risk management tools. The goal, said Barbre, “is to strengthen the economic stability of agricultural producers and rural communities.” The RMA is committed to increasing the availability and effectiveness of Federal Crop Insurance as a risk management tool.

RMA manages the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation “to provide innovative crop insurance products to American farmers, ranchers, and foresters,” said Barbre. “There are so many disasters that can affect American producers, including drought, flooding, hurricanes, wind, disease, and insects to name a few.” When it comes to disasters, the RMA has “boots on the ground,” said Barbre. “There is something going on every week when American producers need our help.”

Recalling a visit to the south in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael, Barbre said, “We saw 90 and 100 year old pecan trees, in pecan orchards, that were ripped from the ground and on their sides. Generations of farmers had tended these trees and they were gone.” The FCIC writes 560 differ-

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ent insurance policies, including a “nut policy” which helped the pecan farmers.

Barbre, who manages the FCIC and is on its board, said, “We insure 130 different crops and livestock species, and the program management team writes 560 different insurance policies.

Barbre, a fourth generation farmer, has a personal stake in the future of agriculture. He and his son, Brandon, are partners in Chestin Farms. They operate the 6,000 acre farm, growing corn, soybeans, wheat and grain sorghum, and specialty crops such as seed soybeans and white corn.

“I was lucky enough to farm with my father,” said Barbre. His father, who drove a tractor until he was 87, died in 2002 at the age of 92. Following the death of his father, Barbre farmed alone before being joined by his son, Brandon. “It’s important that my son’s generation continues to farm. It has to be financially viable for them to continue creating family farms,” said Barbre. “You can look around here, and in other places around the country, and you don’t see many farmers between the ages of 45-65. Keeping the farmers, who are now between 30 and 45, on the farm is my passion.”

Federal crop insurance is essential to families in rural America, said Barbre. “My son had been farming for eight or nine years when a severe drought hit in 2012. Day after day, he was operating the combine and seeing little in return. I could see the anxiety he was experiencing. When the adjuster showed him that Federal crop insurance would cover much of his loss from the drought, it took a big weight off

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his shoulders. I know how vital RMA’s mission is to the people we serve. That’s why I’m here.” Barbre has served in numerous agricultural leadership roles in Illinois and on various committees, including the National Corn Growers Association, Ethanol Committee, and the Illinois Farm Bureau Young Farmers Committee. Barbre served on the White County Farm Bureau Board, from 1979 to 1999, and again from 2005

to 2009. He has traveled across the United States and internationally, working with many different regions and commodity groups to ensure the success of American agriculture. In 2014, Barbre served as president of the National Corn Growers Association.

A 1972 graduate of Carmi High School, Barbre holds a degree in Ag Business from Southeastern Illinois College. Barbre and his wife, Gayla, share the historic Colonel Conger Home on Carmi’s Main Street. Colonel Everton Conger commanded the troops who captured John Wilkes Booth, the man charged in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. The Conger House was built in 1871. They share their home with two goldendoodles, Cash and Bristol, and Ellie, the chihuahua.

In addition to son Brandon, Barbre has a daughter, Misty Gwaltney, a teacher in Carmi. He also has three step-children and 11 grandchildren.

The family farm is an American institution. Anyone who has farmed for any length of time understands that agriculture is risky business. According to the RMA, some risks are everyday business risks, while some are brought on by natural disasters.

Producers need to regularly manage for financial, marketing, production, human resource, and legal risks. “The goal, of the RMA, is to help farmers facing hardships,” said Barbre. “We want the family farm to not only grow, but thrive for generations to come.”

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