Ag commissioner positions in North Carolina and West Virginia were up for grabs
Among the numerous positions up for reelection on Nov. 5, the electorate in two states voted for who they wish to represent the ag community in their respective legislatures.
In North Carolina, for example, Republican incumbent Steve Troxler won his fifth consecutive term as ag commissioner.
Democratic candidate Sarah Taber and Libertarian candidate Sean Haugh were also on the state’s ag commissioner ballot.
Troxler, who has been North Carolina’s ag commissioner since 2005, received about 2.9 million votes, or about 53 percent.
In 2023, North Carolina’s ag industry contributed $111 billion to the state’s economy.
Leading up to election day, Troxler told local media what issue as a top priority for him.
The loss of farmland is “the number one issue that we face in the future of North Carolina,” he told Smoky Mountain News.
Steve Troxler, left, and Kent Leonhardt.
North Carolina has more than 5.9 million agricultural growing environments, but by 2040 that number could be down to about 4.7 million acres, the American Farmland Trust reports.
The other ag commissioner election occurred in West Virginia.
There, Republican incumbent Kent Leonhardt won his third straight election, defeating Democratic nominee Deborah Stiles with more than 430,000 votes, or about 70 percent of voter support.
“Thank you, West Virginia voters, for trusting me with a third term as your Commissioner of Agriculture!” he said on X. “Together, let’s make this term our best yet and continue moving West Virginia agriculture forward!
Since becoming ag commissioner in 2016, Leonhardt has helped pass legislation allowing for increase on-farm processing of poultry and rabbits, secured $250,000 for the Veterans and Warriors to Agriculture Program, and supported FFA and 4-H programs, his website says.
In total, 12 state ag commissioners are elected.
The others are elected in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Carolina and Texas.