About NYFVI:
New York Farm Viability Institute Board of Directors
Seated, left to right: Secretary/Treasurer David Wood, Chairperson John Lincoln, Board Member Jim Bittner, Executive Director Thomas Sleight. Standing, l to r: Board Member Bob Smith, Advisor James Van Riper, Advisor Michael P. Hoffmann, Board Member Steve Griffen, Board Member Larry Eckhardt, Board Member Ron Robbins. Photo by Kevin Rivoli
Members of the New York Farm Viability Institute board of directors are nominated by producer-member organizations that represent a cross section of the state's agricultural sectors. Nominees are elected to one-year terms at the NYFVI annual meeting in March. The board also elects officers to serve one-year terms during the March meeting.
Board members are volunteers. They drive the organization to work towards an agricultural climate characterized by profitable and sustainable farms, environmental stewardship and healthy communities. Board members select grants and make funding decisions, identify and prioritize opportunities and barriers in agriculture, and provide experience and insight.
The board of directors' work is aided by the volunteer members of subcommittees, grant review panels and barrier/opportunity identification panels.
Additionally, NYFVI receives input and guidance from advisors selected to represent Cornell University and the State University of New York agricultural colleges. Currently, those advisor roles are filled by Michael P. Hoffmann, director of the Cornell University Agriculture Experiment Station, and James Van Riper, vice president of academic affairs at Morrisville State College. Another board advisor comes from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. That advisor is Deputy Commissioner Jerry Cosgrove.
Chair
John Lincoln
Linholm Dairy, Bloomfield
Nominated by New York Farm Bureau
Vice-Chair
Jim Bittner
Singer Farms, Appleton
Nominated by New York State Horticultural Society
Secretary/Treasurer
David Wood
Eildon Tweed Farm, West Charlton
Nominated by NYFVI Dairy Committee
Larry Eckhardt
Kinderhook Creek Farm, Stephentown
Nominated by NYS Vegetable Growers Association
Steve Griffen
Saratoga Sod Farm, Stillwater
Nominated by Empire State Council of Agricultural Organizations
Ron
Robbins
North
Harbor Dairy, Sackets Harbor
Nominated by New York Corn Growers Association
Bob Smith
Schichtels Nursery, Springville
Nominated by NYS Nursery/Landscape Association