Why North Carolina’s 2026 Elections Matter for Agriculture

May 2, 2026
Friends,

Before this week’s message, we want to take a moment to thank the members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation who voted this week to advance the Farm Bill, formally titled the Farm, Food, and National Security Act, in the U.S. House. As farmers face challenges like rising input costs, volatile commodity markets, global trade uncertainty, and persistent drought, movement on a long-overdue Farm Bill is welcome progress.

We appreciate U.S. Reps. Don Davis, Chuck Edwards, Virginia Foxx, Pat Harrigan, Mark Harris, Richard Hudson, Brad Knott, Addison McDowell, Tim Moore, Gregory Murphy, and David Rouzer for supporting this effort. We were disappointed Reps. Alma Adams, Valerie Foushee, and Deborah Ross voted no. North Carolina farmers and rural communities benefit when agriculture receives strong and consistent support from leaders in both parties, and we encourage all members of our delegation to keep farmers and rural communities at the front of their minds as this process moves to the US Senate.

Meanwhile, North Carolina’s state legislative races are drawing earlier and more sustained national attention than in many past election cycles, with outside organizations from both parties beginning to invest in a relatively small number of districts that will ultimately determine control of the General Assembly. 

Those investments are not spread evenly. Instead, they are concentrated in a limited number of competitive districts, where outcomes are often decided by narrow margins. As a result, a handful of races will carry outsized influence over the direction of state policy in the years ahead, particularly as it relates to issues that directly impact agriculture, rural economies, and land use across North Carolina.

These targeted races by outside groups could have a huge impact on decisions made in Raleigh and how they may affect how our farmers operate every day. From regulatory frameworks like liability protections for farmers and energy policy to water use and workforce issues, the makeup of the General Assembly plays a direct role in determining how effectively North Carolina supports our state’s number one industry. As national attention increases, so too does the level of outside influence in races that have historically been defined by local priorities and community ties.

Several of the districts drawing that attention are represented by leaders with deep agricultural roots and a clear understanding of the challenges facing farmers and rural communities. Senator Lisa Stone Barnes is one example. Senator Barnes is a farmer from Nash County with strong ties to our state’s rural communities and a firsthand understanding of how policies enacted in Raleigh will impact our farmers on the ground around the state. She knows these issues inside and out because as a farmer herself, she’s lived the challenges of operating in our industry today. 

As outside resources continue to flow into targeted races, it is also important to recognize how those efforts can influence more than just individual contests. Increased national investment often drives turnout patterns that extend beyond specific districts, shaping outcomes and affecting races up and down the ticket, like the US Senate and NC Supreme Court races our voters will decide in November as well. 

The NC Supreme Court race is another example of this directly. State Rep. Sarah Stevens is challenging incumbent Justice Anita Earls in November. We had a chance to hear from Rep. Stevens and other farm-friendly judicial candidates late last year at our judicial event in Raleigh, and the latest polls show that this race in particular is deadlocked. 

In closely contested elections like these, our state’s farmers have a real opportunity to have an outsized impact. Time and time again, we’ve seen that when rural North Carolina turns out to vote, we amplify our voices in Raleigh together. 

This evolving landscape is something we will continue to monitor closely as the 2026 election cycle develops. North Carolina agriculture has long benefited from leaders who understand the industry from the ground up and who remain focused on policies that support farmers, strengthen rural economies, and sustain the communities that depend on them. As the environment around NC’s 2026 federal and state legislative and judicial races continues to develop, we will continue to monitor the landscape closely, and keep you informed how they have the potential to have an outsized impact on our state’s farms and rural communities.