FSA Economist Receives Fred Woods Economic Policy Award

The USDA Economists Group recently gathered for their 15th Annual Membership and Awards meeting. During the ceremony, Alexander Barbarika, an Agricultural Economist with FSA’s Economic Policy and Analysis Staff, was honored with the Fred Woods Award for Excellence in Public Policy Research and Education.

Secretary Vilsack was on hand during the award ceremony to deliver brief remarks. He spoke about modernizing the workforce, strengthening the rural economy and ensuring we have a viable and sustainable food supply. In addition to the Mr. Barbarika receiving the Fred Woods Award, additional economists were honored with separate awards during the meeting.

The Woods award honors a current or past U.S. Department of Agriculture economist for his or her excellent work in developing, analyzing or interpreting public policy, or educating colleagues, peers or the public on public policy issues and topics. The Woods Award is for public policy work that is cumulative and is not restricted to the current year, but the nominee’s policy work must have been accomplished during his or her tenure as a USDA employee. During Barbarika’s long career at FSA, he has produced a wealth of policy analysis that contributed significantly to the development of sound public policy on environmental issues, particularly in regards to the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).

“Since inception of the program over twenty years ago CRP has made great strides reducing soil erosion, improving water and air quality, and increasing wildlife habitat and populations. The goal of USDA and its producers is to serve as responsible stewards of the nation’s lands and I am proud to support this effort,” said Barbarika. “I greatly appreciate the efforts of my colleagues in nominating me for this award and the work they do every day.”

Since shortly after the inception of CRP in 1985, Barbarika has been at the forefront of analyzing and studying CRP. The program is the nation’s largest private lands conservation program and has an enrollment of 33.6 million acres and is currently funded at $2 billion per year. In 1990, he played a major role in the development of the Environmental Benefits Index (EBI) which ranks CRP offers based on expected environmental improvement. The EBI has since provided the analysis for all CRP general sign-up rankings. Barbarika also developed the original methodology for determining acceptable rental rates in the early 1990s.

In 1997, he was instrumental in the development of an analytical tool that was used to make selection decisions for CRP enrollment involving 23 million acres. A Washington Post editorial at the time cited the department for environmental leadership in the selection of acreage for the conservation program. Through Barbarika’s notable efforts, the CRP environmental health benefits significantly improved. During 2007 and 2008, he played a central role in analyzing the impacts of the early release of land from CRP. He was recognized for the depth and breadth of his knowledge on the program and played a key role in providing insights, data and economic understanding to the Office of the Secretary and to staff at the National Economic Council.

Barbarika has been widely recognized as a technical authority on the CRP and serves as a focal point for educating the public on the program. He produces and distributes a monthly statistical summary of the program, as well as annual reports and other historical information. His contributions have been invaluable in formulating policy decisions surrounding CRP issues. In 2008, Barbarika received an Administrator’s Award for his efforts in obtaining OMB approval of incentive payments for wetland restoration practices in the CRP. He also plays a key role in estimating budgetary impacts for any new program initiatives.

Alex Barbarika (left) receives the prestigious Fred Woods Economic Policy Award for his continuous reporting of Conservation Reserve Program information. Presenting him the award is EPAS colleague Skip Hyberg. They were joined by USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack at the presentation.