North Carolina and the Farm Bill 2.0

## How the Farm Bill 2.0 affects North CarolinaNorth Carolina is the second-largest hog producer and a major tobacco, sweet potato, and poultry state. Rep. Donald Davis (D-NC) was one of 14 Democrats voting yes. Sen. Tillis (R-NC) has supported heirs' property relending. ## North Carolina agriculture at a glance | Metric | Value | |---|---| | Farms | 46,000 | | Farmland | 8.4 million acres | | Top crops | Hogs, Poultry, Tobacco, Soybeans, Sweet potatoes | | SNAP recipients | 1.5 million | | Ag rank | Top 15 ag state | ## Key programs for North Carolina producers The most relevant Farm Bill 2.0 programs for North Carolina:

• Crop Insurance
• ARC/PLC
• EQIP
• Tobacco (CCC)

## What's specifically changing for North Carolina

1. Hogs: Prop 12 preemption is a major win for Smithfield, Murphy-Brown, and contract growers.
2. Tobacco: restored CCC commodity status (long-term implications).
3. Heirs' property relending: significant for eastern NC.
4. Hurricane: Emergency Conservation Program strengthened.

## Top resources for North Carolina producers - **North Carolina Department of Agriculture**: primary state-level point of contact for many federal programs. - **North Carolina State University Extension**: local research, conservation planning, technical assistance. - **North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation**: advocacy and producer information. - **North Carolina FSA County Offices**: direct USDA loan applications, ARC/PLC enrollment, CRP. - **NRCS North Carolina State Office**: EQIP, CSP, ACEP, conservation planning. ## How North Carolina should think about the Farm Bill 2.0 If you're a producer in North Carolina, the most important thing to track is the **interaction between this bill and H.R. 1** (the 2025 reconciliation law). Most commodity policy is locked in by H.R. 1; the 2026 farm bill adds incremental changes on top. For most North Carolina operations, the highest-impact changes are likely to be: - **Title II conservation reshuffling**: if you use EQIP heavily, expect tighter funding - **Title VI REAP expansion**: if you're a co-op or in renewable energy - **Title XI crop insurance** for veterans, expanded eligibility and subsidy - **Title XII Prop 12 preemption**: if you're in livestock ## Related - [Full Farm Bill 2.0 Summary](/full-bill-summary/) - [What's New vs the 2018 Farm Bill](/whats-new-vs-2018/) - [Program Finder](/program-finder/) - [Browse all states](/states/)