The Political Beat Candidate Guide: North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture

CHARLOTTE — General elections in North Carolina are set for Nov. 5, and many statewide offices have candidates in the running from the Democratic and Republican parties.

Incumbent Republican Steve Troxler is facing a challenge from Democrat Sarah Taber and Libertarian Sean Haugh, who previously ran for US Senate.

Below are the unedited responses from the candidates.

Sean Haugh

What is your name? Sean Haugh

What is your occupation? Retired.

Why are you running? I am running on the single issue of full and immediate legalization of marijuana in North Carolina. A vote for me is a message to our General Assembly to stop being an obstacle to the progress being made in neighboring states and even in the Eastern Band of Cherokee Nation within our own borders.

What is the most important issue and how do you plan to address it? I would lobby the General Assembly to pass full and immediate legalization of marijuana.

What sets you apart from your opponents? I am the one who is calling for the full and immediate legalization of marijuana.

What changes should be made to the State Fair? I would love to bring back petting zoos, pig racing, and Restaurant Row.

What crop should North Carolina farmers invest more in to increase their revenue and increase our state’s agricultural output? Marijuana.

What will your office do to prevent the spread of Bird Flu in poultry farms? Credit to my incumbent opponent, I think he is doing a good job on this issue and would continue his work there.

Sarah Taber

What is your occupation? For the past 11 years I’ve worked as an agricultural business consultant, helping farmers make a better living from their property. All of my clients are still in business today, and together, they’re worth over four billion dollars.

Why are you running? I noticed that my clients were running into the same problems over and over again. It started to feel like Groundhog Day! I realized that the problems our farmers faced were bigger than any one farm; North Carolina’s farmers can make as little as half as much per acre as farmers in Georgia and Virginia, and our state’s leading the country in farmland lost to development. I saw our current leadership wasn’t up to the job. We needed change.

What is the most important issue and how do you plan to address it? We need to build on-ramps for bringing new people into agriculture. Right now, it’s very difficult to make a living in agriculture unless you’re born into land or can afford to buy it, which shuts innovative people out and keeps our agricultural economy stagnant. One great way to build on-ramps is to promote land management corporations, or LMCs. LMCs make it easy for farmers to hire labor, provide valuable training for new people who want to break into agriculture, and help farmworkers save enough money to buy their own farmland. But growing crops is only one part of the equation! The Department of Agriculture should attract food processing facilities that can turn crops from the fields into foods like nut butter and tomato sauce. These facilities will give farmers new buyers for their crops, bring jobs to our rural areas, and spur economic growth in our rural communities.

What sets you apart from your opponents? I‘m a businesswoman focused on economic growth. Our farm GDP is currently 21% below what it was when my opponent took office, and our agricultural economy as a whole has shrunk by over a fifth during the same timespan. We need leadership that’s serious about building North Carolina’s economy.

What changes should be made to the State Fair? The State Fair’s an amazing opportunity for North Carolina’s farmers to showcase their hard work. I’m looking forward to the fair this year, and I want to make sure our farmers and our state can enjoy the fair for years to come.

What crop should North Carolina farmers invest more in to increase their revenue and increase our state’s agricultural output? We can grow just about anything in North Carolina! Our cool, hilly west is perfect for apples, chestnuts, and cherries. Cool-weather crops like peas, carrots, and leafy greens can be grown year-round in the mountains. Hazelnuts and strawberries can be grown anywhere in the state. Hazelnuts bring in $2,000 per acre (five times more than corn!) while strawberries can bring as much as $40,000 an acre. Generally speaking, fruits and vegetables will be more lucrative than corn, soy, tobacco, and cotton, North Carolina’s four biggest crops.

What will your office do to prevent the spread of Bird Flu in poultry farms? Poultry pandemics hurt all of us. They hurt the poultry farmers who lose their flocks, they hurt the consumer who has to pay more for chicken, and they hurt North Carolinians who fall ill when diseases jump from chickens to people. We need open, clear communication between the poultry industry and the Department of Agriculture to detect bird flu early and stop it before it gets out of hand.

Steve Troxler

Steve Troxler did not respond to the candidate questionnaire. We will update the page with their responses if we receive them.

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