Democrat Sarah Taber, candidate for NC agriculture commissioner, answers our questions
To help inform voters ahead of the Nov. 5, 2024, election, this candidate questionnaire is available to be republished by local publications in North Carolina without any cost. Please consider subscribing to The News & Observer to help make this coverage possible.
Name: Sarah Taber
Political party: Democrat
Age as of Nov. 5, 2024: 41
Campaign website: taberfornc.com
Current occupation: Farmer and farm consultant.
Professional experience: I’m a small farmer and have worked in agriculture 27 years. I got started with hands-on field jobs at 14 years old. I worked my way through crop school. Then, with that combination of hands-on experience and technical training, I started working with farmers on making a better living. Every one of my farmers is still in business. All together, my farmers and small food business clients are now worth $4 billion. (Some of those small businesses hit a growth streak & aren’t small anymore.)
Education: Brigham Young University, BS Environmental Social Science (Honors), 2005 University of Florida, Doctor of Plant Medicine, 2011 Postdoc, University of Florida, blueberry breeding program, 2011-2014.
Please list any notable government or civic involvement : Aquaponics Association food safety coordinator: worked with FDA to make sure the Food Safety Modernization Act allowed farmers to use aquaponics. Volunteer election canvasser: there’s no replacement in civic life for talking with people one-on-one. Writing on food and economic issues: an April 2022 piece in Foreign Policy on the Ukraine war, predicting grain prices would crash months before they did. Also on NC energy policy to help ensure clean and affordable energy for NC.
What would be your top priority if elected?
Rebuilding our failing farm economy. Our farm and food sectors have both shrunk by about a quarter in the last 20 years. We’re losing farms because too many farmers can’t afford to stay in business. It’s the commissioner’s job to fix that. We need grants and private investment- to build facilities that turn high-value crops like hazelnuts, hemp, & produce into groceries. These crops earn far more than corn, soy, & tobacco. But we have to have those facilities for farmers to grow & sell them.
What percentage raises should your state agency’s employees receive in the next state budget?
My rule of thumb: raises for the governor or members of the Council of State should never be higher than the average raise for state employees. We have too many vacancies in key services across the Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, including our firefighters and other professionals in the Forest Service, our fuel quality inspectors, and plant pest specialists.
Will you attend all Council of State meetings?
Yes. In addition to the statutory responsibilities of the Council of State, it is an important avenue to advocate for our agricultural sector and the importance of consumer protection.
How will you work with the other nine members of the council, including the governor?
Nothing worth doing is achieved alone. The thorniest issues facing the Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services also involve the work of other departments - especially Labor, Justice, the State Treasurer, and Environmental Quality, which isn’t part of the council but is a key partner. I stand ready to work with other Council of State members, regardless of their political party, to rebuild North Carolina’s farm economy and protect our farmlands.
North Carolina has lost thousands of farms in recent years. Research shows that farmland loss is expected to continue. What will you do to slow or reverse this trend?
Our farmers make as little as half as much money per acre as farmers in Georgia and Virginia. That’s why we’re losing farms faster than any other major ag state. The best way to keep farms in business is for them to make more money. I’ve spent the last decade helping farmers switch from crops that lose money to crops that make a profit. Thanks to that experience, I know how to build the infrastructure, supply chains, lending, investment sources, and training that farmers need.
Do you support the rules proposed by the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality to regulate some ‘forever’ chemical pollution in drinking water supplies in North Carolina?
I absolutely support these rules. As someone who lives and grows crops in the Cape Fear River basin, I’m disappointed at the continued delays on surface water proposals. As commissioner of agriculture, I will appoint members of the Environmental Management Committee who will do their due diligence in a timely fashion.
What will your strategy be to promote growth in the agriculture industry while regulating businesses and ensuring quality and safety
Much of my work with farmers has been helping them understand that farming for quality and safety is good for business. In agriculture, you have to think with a long-term mindset and build for the next generation. And cutting corners doesn’t do that. While our farm sector shrunk about a quarter in the last 20 years, we can catch up by building a reputation for good, reliable, clean products. I’m encouraged that we have so many young people who want to get into agriculture and do what it takes.
Is there an issue on which you disagree with your party? What is your position on that issue?
There are a lot of individual Democrats who care about rural North Carolina and our agricultural economy. But these issues can too often take a backseat in conversations within the party. I have a track record of success in communicating with a wide audience—including Democrats who have never set foot on a farm—about the need to invest in agriculture and rural livelihoods.
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