Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler sits down each week with Southern Farm Network’s Rhonda Garrison to discuss “Today’s Topic.”
The General Assembly begins a new session tomorrow, and the big topic is going to be the state budget.
North Carolina is facing some tough choices this year when it comes to the next state budget. Entire programs or services could be eliminated as the legislature tries to fill a projected $3.7 billion hole. Commissioner Troxler says any cuts likely would be permanent.
A number of services provided by the NCDA&CS could be affected, including soil testing; free agronomic consulting; agricultural research; food safety inspections of meat processing plants, food manufacturing plants and grocery stores; marketing of North Carolina ag products; protection of North Carolina crops and trees from plant pests; and protection of livestock and poultry from potentially devastating animal diseases.
In addition to working on budget issues, Commissioner Troxler says his department also will work with the legislature on some policy issues, too. Among them will be companion-animal welfare issues, feral swine, and issues of land use and farms.
Listen as Commissioner Troxler and Rhonda talk about the new legislative session and how it might affect agriculture in North Carolina.
[audio:http://info.ncagr.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Troxler_1-25.mp3|titles=Today’s Topic for Jan. 25]Southern Farm Network is a division of Curtis Media Group.