In our continuing series on the commissioner of agriculture race in North Carolina, incumbent candidate Steve Troxler discusses the lack of current farm bill legislation, and what he can and will do for the state’s producers until congress passes farm bill legislation:
 

"I think I can use my position as the President of the National Association of Departments of Agriculture to urge congress to pass this farm bill, as the first priority of the National Association.
 

We do have limited resources in the case of a disaster, in the department to respond in the case of a disaster, but not with funding programs that you would see in a national disaster program.
 

All of this is going to be dependent on congress at the federal level to pass the program. If we do have individual situations arise in North Carolina then we certainly will act to do that.
 

I went to the legislature after Hurricane Irene when we knew that farmers were going to be in pretty bad shape and asked them for a program to help guarantee loans for farmers when we have these types of disasters. With the budget situation we’ve seen in the state of North Carolina, it gained traction to the point that we talked about it, but the funding for this program was never actually put into place. But I want to go back and say that we are dependent on congress to pass this farm bill.”

Next week we’ll wrap up our North Carolina Ag Commissioner candidate series with Walter Smith and Steve Troxler on their plans to entice people to enter the profession of production agriculture

For more of Commissioner Troxler’s comments, as well as those of his opponent, Walter Smith, click here