The Judiciary’s Impact on North Carolina Farmers
November 1, 2025
| Friends, Sometimes the news intersects perfectly with work. This week, as we’ve been preparing for the NC Ag Partnership’s big End-of-Year Judicial Event on November 4, this article popped up right in time to remind me why we do what we do. In my past work, the judiciary was not a branch that I ever thought much about. I used to take LSAT practice questions for fun when my work was light (I’ve since found new hobbies), but that is as far as my knowledge of law and the courts ever went. That is, until I began working closely with farmers who were subject to environmental regulations, private-property-rights, and liability issues. I now understand the significant impact of the courts on protecting farm interests, and especially their right to operate under a fair regulatory structure. In North Carolina, this impact is top-of-mind. In last week’s Dispatch, we shared the story of the NC Farm Bureau Federation’s huge win, with the North Carolina Supreme Court upholding a lower court’s decision that additions to the state’s general animal-waste permits should have been subjected to the rulemaking process instead of deferring to the NC Department of Environmental Quality. In a 5-2 split decision, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the NC Farm Bureau and the larger agricultural community as a whole. Thankfully, the five justices sitting in those majority seats understand the impact of regulations on business, and of ensuring that the correct and expected processes are followed. The same can be said for Right-to-Farm issues, land disputes, farm-activity classifications, and any number of issues that affect how farmers operate, and ultimately how food is produced. It’s our responsibility as members of North Carolina’s agriculture and business communities to ensure that judicial seats are held by justices and judges who understand how their decisions impact the state’s largest economic sector. Equally important, we must equip those in office with the tools they need to serve our farmers well. That’s exactly why the NC Ag Partnership exists. As mentioned last week, we will hold our End-of-Year Judicial Event on Tuesday, November 4, in Raleigh. We are thrilled to have all five farm-friendly NC Supreme Court justices and several NC Court of Appeals judges attending, including Chief Justice Paul Newby and Chief Judge Chris Dillon. We will also have two judicial candidates attending: Rep. Sarah Stevens, candidate for the NC Supreme Court, and Superior Court Judge Matt Smith, candidate for the NC Court of Appeals. We invite you to join us for this important night of conversation. Please contact Tori Rumenik (trumenik@ncagpartnership.com) or Todd Batchelor (todd@ncagpartnership.com) for more information. The location will be provided upon RSVP. I hope to see many of you there! Best regards, |
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| Tori Rumenik Executive Director, North Carolina Ag Partnership |