A Memorial Day Reflection on Service and Sustaining America

May 23, 2026
Friends,

This weekend is Memorial Day. We honor the men and women who gave their lives in service to our country. This solemn commemoration is a moment of gratitude for those who made the ultimate sacrifice to the cause of protecting and preserving our freedom and way of life. 

In 2026, this Memorial Day carries additional weight as we prepare to mark the 250th Anniversary of the United States. 

The way of life that these men and women fought and died to protect has long depended on American agriculture. From the Revolutionary War to the present day, American farmers have always stood ready to answer our nation’s call, whether in uniform and in war overseas, or at home in the field feeding the troops and the families they left behind.

This Memorial Day weekend, we hope you will remember the fallen, including those who came from America’s farming families whose work and sacrifice have sustained our country through some of its hardest hours.

Farmers continue to feed and sustain our nation and communities today amid serious challenges. Amid drought, rising energy and supply chain costs and other pressures, farm families and communities continue to face a difficult operating environment.

In the face of these challenges, let’s take a moment to look at some encouraging news.

Last week, a group of national coalition partners led by the NC Chamber and the NC Farm Bureau and joined by groups like the North Carolina Agribusiness Council, the North Carolina Growers Association, and the North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission, secured an important victory for farmers in federal court. 

The U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of California denied a request for a preliminary injunction that would have blocked the Trump administration’s reforms to the Adverse Effect Wage Rate methodology, the framework that governs compensation for workers in the H-2A program.

The court found that the United Farm Workers of America failed to demonstrate how blocking the Trump administration’s interim H-2A rules would cause irreparable harm, and that many of their arguments relied on speculation rather than concrete evidence.

While this case will continue moving forward in the federal court system, last week’s decision is an important early victory, brought by sustained, coordinated collaboration from NC-based and national coalition partners, that paves the way for relief for farmers struggling under the weight of rising costs, persistent drought, and other challenges.

We are grateful for the work of all of the coalition’s partners on this case. 

Last week also saw legislative developments at the state level that are noteworthy for our state’s farms and rural communities.

NC Senators Brent Jackson, Lisa Stone Barnes, and Buck Newton introduced a proposed amendment that would enshrine the right to farm and work the land into the North Carolina Constitution. If approved by the General Assembly and ultimately by voters, the proposal would recognize rights related to the cultivation of crops, the raising of livestock and poultry, timber production, and other agricultural and forestry activities. 

Lawmakers also introduced a proposal that would place North Carolina’s longstanding Right-to-Work protections into the state constitution. North Carolina has operated as a Right-to-Work state for decades, and supporters of the proposal argue constitutional protection would preserve existing safeguards intended to ensure individuals cannot be compelled to join an organization as a condition of employment.

Legislative discussions surrounding the NC Farm Act also resumed and are expected to continue in the weeks ahead. We will continue to monitor these and other legislative developments as the General Assembly continues its work through the coming weeks and months with an eye toward potential impact on NC’s farms and rural communities.