Thankful for Agriculture: Policy Updates This Week
November 22, 2025
| Friends, We’re proud to have covered Justice Newby’s record last week, and thankful for your support. This week, a few news items grabbed our attention. Most importantly, a very happy early Thanksgiving, with gratitude, to everyone in this industry. As Executive Director of the NC Ag Partnership, I am especially thankful for those of you that have brought me into the fold and taught me what it means to be a North Carolinian working for agriculture and our rural communities. I had the pleasure of attending the NC Agribusiness Council’s annual dinner this week and was struck again by the intergenerational friendships and mentorships that make up this state. We are very fortunate to live and work here. Now, here are a few topics in the Ag world that I’m keeping an eye on: New Waters of the United States (WOTUS) Proposed Rule Announced Anyone working land in North Carolina knows that WOTUS is one of the most widely contested and confusing legal terms we deal with. As a refresher, WOTUS defines the bodies of water that are federally regulated under the Clean Water Act, and farmers and landowners must secure permits before they can make any changes to their land that could affect water quality. The decision in the 2023 case of Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency revised the definition to (essentially and without getting into the weeds) focus regulations only on permanent bodies of water and wetlands that have a continuous surface connection to those waters. This was viewed as providing clarity to agriculture and removing some of the ambiguity around the definition. This week, the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers announced a new proposal to further refine the WOTUS definition. The new proposed rule defines key terms like “relatively permanent” body of water, “continuous surface connection”, and “wet season”. The summary also states that the rule will “strengthen… state and tribal decision-making authority by providing clear regulatory guidelines while recognizing their expertise in local land and water resources”, among other priorities. Any farmer or landowner who cares about the definition of WOTUS and its effect on your businesses should pay close attention to this one, especially as opposition groups are already making their voices heard about the exclusion of some wetland areas. Once the proposed rule is published in the Federal Register, the public will have the opportunity to comment for 45 days. USDA Announces New Round of Disaster Funding for 2023 and 2024 Losses Applications for Stage 2 of the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) funds will open to producers on November 24. This stage covers non-indemnified losses (including shallow losses), uninsured losses, and quality losses that were due to “wildfires, hurricanes, floods, derechos, excessive heat, tornadoes, winter storms, freeze (including a polar vortex), smoke exposure, excessive moisture, qualifying drought, and related conditions occurring in calendar years 2023 and/or 2024”. Producers should visit the USDA’s SDRP webpage to learn more about eligibility and the application. USDA Deputy Secretary Vaden acknowledged that assistance for the 2025 crop year is not yet finalized, but that the USDA is working to announce that program soon. We will keep you posted when it is announced. P.S. Are you having as much trouble as I am keeping all of these programs straight? Just a reminder that this is a separate program from the block grant for Hurricane Helene losses being administered by NC DA&CS. We are grateful to Commissioner Troxler and his team for their continued work on that program. There’s a lot more going on in the ag world right now, but this feels like enough for one Saturday. We will take a break next week for our team to enjoy Thanksgiving, but we will be back in your inbox on December 6. Best regards, |
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| Tori Rumenik Executive Director, North Carolina Ag Partnership |