by North Carolina’s Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler from his January column “From the Tractor” for the department’s monthly newsletter the Agricultural Review:
I hope you will join me this year at the Southern Farm Show for the annual Agricultural Development Forum on Feb. 6 at 9:30 a.m.
As we start off 2025, the wounds of 2024 are still fresh for farmers who experienced just about every natural disaster over the course of the season coupled with the economic challenges of high input costs and low commodity prices.
I am hopeful this will be a better season, but I know many farmers across the state are hurting right now and some are facing really tough business decisions.
At the forum, Dr. Jeffrey Dorfman, the Hugh C. Kiger Distinguished Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics at N.C. State University, will provide his take on the economic outlook for 2025. We will also hear from a panel of North Carolina farmers and extension staff to talk about the current state of recovery in Western NC and in Eastern NC.
It is important that we keep attention focused on recovery and the statewide agricultural losses if we are going to be able to secure any kind of disaster assistance, which is one of priorities this year.
We will also announce the 2025 Exporter of the Year during the program, which is a highlight for me.
And, to wrap up the program, I will provide my take on the state of agriculture and top priorities for 2025 through a Q&A conversation with Dann Miller, host of the Ag In NC podcast.
For anyone who attended in 2024, you may remember we switched up the format a bit for the State of Ag address and we are keeping that formal this year. At the end of the program, lunch will be served.
Please go to our website to register to attend. It is free to attend, but we need to know how many to expect.
The start of the year is when many commodity meetings are held, and I encourage you to make plans to attend yours to get the latest updates and information. We have seen a number of announcements from EPA and FDA that could have big industry impacts.
This year is off to a fast start already – a layer operation in Hyde County tested positive for high path avian influenza, FDA released a proposal to limit the amount of nicotine in cigarettes, EPA announced a study on PFAS findings in sludge used for fertilizer, and a new USDA Agriculture Secretary will be sworn in.
Staying up to date on the latest in agriculture is always important, but it will be especially important for everyone involved in agriculture today.
We desperately need Congress to pass a new Farm Bill that includes disaster assistance and I would encourage you to contact your Congressional representatives asking them to help get this done.
