Returning to Her Roots, Jacy Barnes Clapp Joins Barnes Farming Corporation

Barnes Farming Corporation welcomes Jacy Barnes Clapp, the daughter of president and second-generation owner, Johnny Barnes, to the company. Jacy joins her brother, Josh as the next generation to join the family farm. Josh has been with Barnes Farming for five years and is now the Vice President and Operations Manager.

Jacy will grow the marketing side of the business, managing the company’s public relations, social media, and presence at trade shows, primarily focusing on Barnes Farming’s sweetpotato marketing arm, Farm Pak Products. She will work closely with Farm Pak’s sales manager, Jose Calderon, who has been with the company for more than 15 years. She will also spearhead sustainability initiatives for the 20,000-acre farm. Jacy joins Barnes Farming after seven years of experience with E&J Gallo Winery, Braswell Family Farms, and Freight Farms, where she served in various sales and marketing roles. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations from North Carolina State University.

“I feel incredibly blessed to take our family business to the next level alongside my family and the countless longtime employees that feel like family,” says Jacy. “I look forward to sharing our business story and building relationships with our customers and end-consumers around the world.”

“I’m thankful to now have two of our three children working for the company,” says Johnny. “Not only because she’s family but also because of her capabilities as a marketer.”

Johnny Barnes became President of Barnes Farming in 2012 and has grown the organization to incorporate fresh watermelons and value-added sweetpotato products, such as microwave wrapped sweetpotatoes, prepackaged mesh bags, and microwave steam bags. The company has also added a full line of organic sweetpotatoes and new varieties, including Murasaki and Evangeline, to meet the changing tastes of consumers. In turn, Farm Pak Products specializes in the sales of fresh sweetpotatoes grown in Eastern North Carolina to grocery, food service, and processors all over the world.

Barnes Farming Corporation was founded in 1960 with just 3/8 of an acre by Johnny’s parents, Carson Barnes and Maxine Whitley.