Opinon: Federal policies are hurting NC farmers. So state leaders must have their backs.

The Trump administration’s spending cuts are making it tougher for small farmers to get by, NC Rep. Ray Jeffers writes. But a bill he introduced would “uplift our farmers regardless of what comes down from Washington.”

Agriculture is North Carolina’s number one business. According to the NC Commissioner of Agriculture, it contributes more than $111 billion to our state economy. For as long as any of us can remember, agriculture has been a vital component of what makes North Carolina strong. 

But our farmers are weathering multiple storms right now, and federal policies are making it tougher to get by in an industry where margins are always tight.

Last year, Hurricane Helene caused significant damage to farmers in western North Carolina. The State Office of Budget and Management concluded that the Helene-related impact to agriculture was nearly $5 billion. From Christmas tree farms to apple orchards, many of our mountain crops were destroyed. The topsoil that farmers need to replant was torn up, too, mixing in debris and rocks. That makes it incredibly difficult to replant what was lost. State and federal partners have been working to help make our farmers whole, but it will be a long road to a full recovery, and some family farms won’t make it through. 

But now our farmers are facing another crisis, this one deliberate. The combination of federal cuts at the United States Department of Agriculture and the uncertainty surrounding on-and-off again tariffs are making it even more difficult for our farmers. 

North Carolina farmers exported nearly $700 million worth of product to China in 2024, particularly pork, poultry and tobacco. Disruptions from trade could wreak havoc on our smaller farms. On top of that, any tariffs that raise the cost of the already-expensive equipment farmers need to grow their businesses will put more pressure on their bottom lines. 

Federal cuts at USDA are evaporating a vital source of revenue for local community food banks and the farmers that work with them. One program, Local Food Purchase Assistance, helped connect farmers with food banks so that communities had access to local produce and farmers had a predictable revenue source. The federal government cut that program. Another program cut was the Local Food for School. This partnered local schools with farmers and ensured that kids could have access to locally grown products. 

Cuts are also affecting Farm Service Agencies in communities around the state, including my own in Person County. The staff are supposed to be there to help farmers access subsidies and support programs. When cuts like these are implemented across the board, rural communities and our farmers are most affected.

For some farmers, those programs made up a significant chunk of their annual revenue. It also provided certainty in an industry that lacks it. And speaking of uncertainty, tariffs are making it nearly impossible to plan long term.

Farmers are having to reconsider which crops to plant, given the wild swing in prices of goods like tobacco and soybeans. With margins that are razor thin, our farmers are left to guesswork to determine what crops have the best chance of making a profit. A stressful occupation like farming needs reassurance that our leaders in Washington have a steady hand, but what they get is anything but.

At the state level we have few levers if any to influence federal policy like tariffs. But we do have the ability to pass laws that can protect and uplift our farmers regardless of what comes down from Washington. I am the primary sponsor of a bill doing just that, House Bill 617: Supporting Small Farmers for NC’s Future Act. 

My bill would specifically help the small farmers who need it most. It would establish a small farmer grant support program; provide funding for cold storage equipment; fund  community food programs that buy directly from farmers; and provide bridge loans. 

The bill is one way we can help the small farms that North Carolina agriculture was built on. We owe it to the hardworking farmers and their families to have their backs, even if the federal government does not.