State of Ag: Troxler talks H-2A, farmland loss, federal bill

Steve Troxler, commissioner of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS), addressed issues such as farmland preservation, the federal farm bill, changes to H-2A labor laws, and more during the department’s 20th annual Agriculture Development Forum on Feb. 5. 

Troxler reflected on some of the challenges of the past year, including the response to Hurricane Helene. He praised the work of the NC Forest Service in responding to Helene, despite staffing and funding constraints. North Carolina was the No. 1 state at risk of wildfire in 2025 and also had $5 billion in farmgate losses. Additionally, widespread wildfires in certain parts of the state earlier this year placed even more pressure on the NC Forest Service. He expressed his gratitude to the North Carolina General Assembly for the multiple disaster relief packages passed after Hurricane Helene. 

“I’ll never be able to thank the legislature enough for what they did,” said Troxler. “We might be the only state in the nation that has a state disaster relief program. We can be proud of that in North Carolina, and everyone pulling together to get that done. It’s just so heartwarming.” 

Troxler expressed his pride in the department’s work in 2025. 

“I hope we’re going to be able to breathe a sigh of relief and say ‘OK, it’s going to get better,’” said Troxler. “And so we’ll take that attitude going into 2026 and do our best.”  

h2A Changes

Farm labor has become a hot topic in North Carolina, with many of the state’s top agricultural commodities such as tobacco and sweet potatoes relying heavily on H-2A workers. 2025 saw changes to the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR), which affects how farmworker wages are calculated.  

“I see nothing that we have done over the past 10-15 years that could have more of a positive impact on what we do in North Carolina than this,” said Troxler. “It’s something we have all worked on for a long time with very little success, and I guess the moon and the stars lined up. And it is amazing how good this is, rolling back the wages and then doing something that I advocated for probably 20 years ago was to give a credit for housing in H-2A.” 

Farmers who use H-2A workers are federally required to provide housing, creating an imbalance compared with American farm workers. There is no housing requirement for most American farm workers, according to Troxler, who advocated for a housing credit to bring the west and east coast together. 

“California really does not want to have anything to do with housing workers,” said Troxler. “I thought if we got a credit for the states that were using H-2A and providing housing, maybe that would bring them on board,” continued Troxler. “Unfortunately, it didn’t at that time, but now that it is available too. So this is a milestone that we will remember for a long time, if we hold it.

Referencing a recent lawsuit filed in California against the US Department of Labor’s recent changes to AEWR, Troxler said: “I’m ready to go to the Supreme Court at any time. We’re going to take it as far as we have to take it because we have got to win this battle.”

Troxler explained that the public wants to point the finger at rapidly rising grocery costs since 2020. 

“Our labor costs have gone nuts,” said Troxler. “Either we are going to pass that cost on in some way to the end product, or we’re not going to be able to raise it, and we will import that from somebody else in the world, so this is a milestone really that will be recognized for a long time if we pull it off.”

farmland Preservation

Preserving American farmland is another important issue, Troxler said. The NCDA&CS Farmland Preservation Trust Fund is actively seeking farmers and landowners to place permanent easements on their land to prevent development, according to Troxler. Landowners are currently cashing in by selling their land to turn it into high-end residential real estate. A permanent easement of this nature does not prohibit the sale of the land. The land can be sold, but it must be sold with the farm and not developed. The NCDA&CS Farmland Preservation Trust Fund has protected over 42,000 acres of farmland. North Carolina is the No. 1 state at risk of farmland loss, says Troxler, who has concerns that North Carolina could reach a tipping point at which production increases cannot keep pace with land loss. Removing forests and farmland from the state changes its makeup, and Troxler’s concern is that their disappearance will alter one of the most beautiful states in the nation, which attracts a high volume of tourism every year. 

“While I would hope that people would not sell the land into development, sometimes it’s necessary; and I’m the biggest believer in private property rights you’ll ever see,” said Troxler. “If you bought, paid for it, you got the deed to it, you need to have the right to manage as you need to manage it. So that’s the premise we operate on. We are trying to offset that development right in farmland with this trust fund money. But everybody knows that land values continue to escalate. You’re taking a point in time and taking a cash out, and you may see in 10 years you could have gotten more money. But that’s not what this is about. We’re giving you the opportunity to cash out and do something that is really good for the state of North Carolina.”  

Federal Farm Bill

The Farm Bill sets national policy, according to Troxler. Some key aspects of the farm bill include risk management, managing the loads that come with farming, and ensuring farmers can farm again. 

“We have got to have a farm bill to have a firm policy when it comes to what direction this country is going to take when it comes to agriculture,” said Troxler. 

The US has not had a full federal farm bill since 2018, when the Agriculture Improvement Act was signed. Exports and addressing tariffs that hurt agriculture need to be addressed in the farm bill, according to Troxler, who acknowledged that “President Trump has been good about helping when tariffs create bad situations for farmers, but that can’t go on forever.”

Troxler explained three essential components needed in a farm bill: “What we need is open markets for agricultural products; we need risk management, and a regulatory structure that stays the hell out of our business. That’s what we need. We get that out of a farm bill, we’ll be good.”

“State of Ag: Troxler talks H-2A, farmland loss, federal bill” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.