A
Message From
Commissioner
of Agriculture
Steve Troxler
North Carolinians
who are involved in agriculture and agribusiness feel tremendous ownership of
this important office, and rightfully so. Our
state statutes require that the Commissioner of Agriculture be elected, and that
he or she be a “practical farmer engaged in the profession.”
Of all of the experiences I have had, none prepared me more for the task
of serving you as Commissioner than the experience of owning and operating a
family farm in Browns Summit, North Carolina for all of my adult life.
I encourage
you to consider this message and others that will be appearing on my website
throughout my campaign. I believe you will find that I am a proven
leader and the clear choice of the agricultural community.
The cornerstone of my campaign is to ensure a safe and abundant food
supply for all
North Carolinians
. Since I became Commissioner of
Agriculture, the department has dealt with serious, and sometimes deadly threats
to our food supply. E.coli,
botulism, and salmonella warnings to consumers have made both local and national
headlines. In every instance, North Carolina
has moved quickly to identify and contain the source of the problem. The
department’s Food and Drug Division has worked diligently with other state and
federal agencies to stop the spread of dangerous bacteria in our food supply,
and it has been held up as a model for other states to emulate.
In some instances, the Division has actually proven that North Carolina
grown food products were free from contamination, which meant that our products
could continue to flow in commerce. This
work has saved our collective agricultural community millions of dollars, and I
am quite proud of that.
While food safety is certainly an important issue, it is not the only
issue in this campaign. The
Commissioner of Agriculture must manage a 1400 employee state agency, with
employees operating every day in every county of the state.
I would challenge any
North Carolina
citizen to go one day without being touched by work of your Department of
Agriculture and Consumer Services. Nearly
four years ago, I said at my inauguration that it would be my goal to work with
the employees of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to make the
Department one of the best in the country. We
have worked hard to make that a reality, and people are taking notice.
Here is a
brief summary of some of the things we have accomplished:
The State Fair, once embroiled in controversy, set an all-time attendance
record last year, as did the Mountain State Fair.
Our Food and Drug Division, which is responsible for food safety in
North Carolina
, recently received a national award
for our work
with food recalls, and is now recognized as one of the top programs in the
nation.
Our “Got To Be NC Agriculture” marketing program has been honored
twice for marketing excellence, and the program
has generated
tremendous sales gains for grocery stores and NC-based suppliers.
The Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund was
created, and already has funded $7.6 million
in projects
to help preserve working farms and farmland across our state.
We have successfully dealt with both hurricanes and drought relief
efforts, with the Department’s Operation Brighter Day
in 2005 and
hay relief and drought assistance in 2007.
We have begun production of biodiesel fuel at our research
stations and we created a biofuels campus at
Oxford
Research Station.
We created AgFIRST as a forum for farmers, government officials and the
food industry to share information about issues
of interest,
such as food safety. Our attendance this year topped 300, making this event the
largest annual food safety event
in the
Southeast.
Departmental employees were honored three straight years with state
awards of excellence.
The State’s veterinary diagnostic labs have just been accredited
for the first time in many years.
Our Farm to School program has been recognized as a national model and
our schools are purchasing more and more
North
Carolina
grown fruits and vegetables for their needs.
What we have done is important, but what we will be doing in the coming years is
just as important. A growing
population in our state has created challenges and opportunities for our
agricultural industry. Those include
demand for land, demand for water, and demand for labor.
In the coming years, issues such as the priority use of water resources
for agriculture will continue to be discussed at state and local levels. My
knowledge of agriculture and agri-business and my proven leadership will insure
that agriculture and agri-business remain a priority in all of these
discussions.
I believe that
North Carolina
’s $70 billion agriculture and agribusiness industry is at a critical
crossroads, and that continuity of strong leadership will be key in determining
the future of agriculture in our state. I want to continue to provide that
leadership for
North Carolina
. My wife Sharon and I send you our
best, and hope you will consider supporting me in my re-election bid.
Sincerely,
| 
Steve Troxler