Governor Josh Stein attended the 90th annual convention of the North Carolina Farm Bureau, highlighting the importance of agriculture to the state’s economy and heritage. The Farm Bureau has supported farmers in North Carolina since 1936 and currently represents over 650,000 member families. Its advocacy has helped make North Carolina a leading producer of sweet potatoes, tobacco, turkeys, cucumbers, hogs, broilers, and Christmas trees.
During his remarks at the convention, Governor Stein addressed challenges facing farmers this year. “Agriculture and North Carolina’s hardworking farmers are critical to our economic strength as a state,” said Governor Josh Stein. “This past year has brought real hardships from tariffs – from rising production costs to the lowest row crop prices we’ve seen in more than a decade. I’m committed to working alongside our farmers to strengthen this industry, protect our farmland, and ensure that agriculture remains central to North Carolina’s future.”
Governor Stein emphasized ongoing support for agriculture as the state’s largest industry. This year he signed the Disaster Recovery Act of 2025 which created the Agricultural Disaster Crop Loss Program to assist farmers with documented losses from declared disasters. Additional legislation signed by Stein brings total state assistance for farmers above $478 million.
While visiting the Triad region, Governor Stein also toured Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina where he volunteered and presented a $2.185 million check from the State of North Carolina to support hunger relief efforts.
Eric Aft, Chief Executive Officer for Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina said: “Second Harvest appreciates this significant investment from Governor Stein and the State of North Carolina,’’ adding that “These funds will be an integral part of our work to address the needs of our residents impacted by the federal government shutdown and ensure that our robust response to the historic demand for food assistance remains strong.”