I traveled recently to the N.C. Commodity Conference in Greenville where I was able to visit with a number of growers who were attending the event. It was a good turnout at this new location, and I saw a lot of familiar faces.
As farmers know, the winter months are commodity association season with plenty of annual meetings taking place statewide. I encourage farmers to attend these meetings to hear the latest and get important industry updates for commodities they grow.
A few, upcoming meetings include the Tobacco Growers Association of North Carolina annual meeting and the N.C. Crop Improvement Association Feb. 6, the N.C. Agritourism Networking Association 2026 Farm Tour and Conference Feb. 22-24 and the 58th annual meeting of the N.C. Tomato Growers and Winter Vegetable Conference Feb. 25 and 26. This is not a complete list by any means, but gives you an idea of how February is shaping up with meetings.
I am also looking forward to seeing more farmers at the upcoming Ag Development Forum and Southern Farm Show in Raleigh Feb. 4-6, where we’ll hear from Dr. Jeffrey Dorfman, an ag economist from N.C. State, and others as we look ahead to the 2026 growing season.
The forum and other commodity meetings offer farmers an opportunity to network with one another and hear important updates, ideas and projections for the upcoming season. We know what challenging times these are right now for agriculture. Commodity prices remain low and input costs high.
A college professor once told our class that good ag policy would be the single largest factor in our success on the farm. I remember thinking about the weather and what a big influence it has on crops and the impact of marketing, but over the years I have seen that he was indeed correct. Good farm policy is essential to successful farming.
Nationally, especially among other state’s agriculture leaders, we are hearing a recurring call for Congress to pass a new Farm Bill. The last one was passed in 2018 and was set to expire in 2023 but has been extended. A lot has happened since 2018, and the industry needs a new Farm Bill that addresses today’s agricultural climate.
We need to stay engaged as an industry to ensure our voices and concerns are heard and hopefully addressed through good ag policy. That’s why attending annual meetings and being engaged is so important.
I encourage you to follow the department’s social media channels to also stay up on the latest involving continued Hurricane Helene disaster recovery and grant programs that will come available. We are on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) at NCAgriculture and Got to Be NC on Instagram.
We are anticipating the approval of our $221 million federal Hurricane Helene Disaster Block Grant soon and will announce the application signup period once approval is granted. If you will recall, this block grant was announced in September during the Mountain State Fair. Since that time, we have put together our proposal on how to distribute these funds, which must be approved by USDA. We continue to meet with them and discuss what can be covered and rules involving the use of these funds. I am hopeful that we gain approval soon and can begin accepting applications for funds.
We intend to use these funds to maximize disaster payments to farmers with Hurricane Helene losses, using state funds for items USDA will not fund and using federal funds for items state funds won’t cover.
During the Ag Development Forum, we will have an update on disaster payments and ongoing efforts to get funds to farmers who experienced losses. I hope to see you there!
‘From the tractor’ is published in the monthly Agricultural Review.