WASHINGTON, D.C. On Tuesday N.C.’s Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler will join President Donald Trump for a roundtable meeting in the White House Roosevelt Room about the challenges facing the American farmer. The meeting follows the morning swearing in of the president’s new secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue. “He is looking forward to sharing his concern for the farming community and rural N.C. in such a high-level meeting with so many decision makers in the room,” said Zane Hedgecock, Troxler’s chief of staff. “He is particularly proud to shed light on the challenges facing those growers who work every day to try to feed the world.”Troxler will join 15 other agriculture leaders in the meeting with the president. However, N.C. is the only state with multiple representatives at the White House table: James Lamb, a hog farmer from Sampson County, will be there along with the president’s special assistant on agriculture, Autryville native Ray Starling. This afternoon Trump is expected to sign an executive order that directs a six-month review of regulations across several federal agencies that impact agriculture, regulations critics say are stifling economic prosperity in rural America. Starling on Monday told media at the North American Agricultural Journalists meeting in Washington, D.C., that striking a balance between promoting rural economies and protecting national security through access to safe and adequate food supplies may mean tough policy choices ahead.”Will the administration potentially be in a slightly different place than some of our friends on the Hill? The answer may be ‘yes,'” Starling said according to Politico. “With that said, on the Hill you certainly have staunch advocates for these programs. “We’ll see how this shakes in the end. I think the idea that we’ll spend less overall in government is certainly a driving principle that this administration wants to accomplish,” he added.Perdue joins the conversation after the order is prepared, so he will also meet with the group of farmers at the high-level talks Tuesday. Both of N.C.’s senators voted in favor of confirming Perdue.”When I met with Secretary Perdue earlier this year, I was heartened by his knowledge of agriculture and his passion for this important industry,” said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). “North Carolina is a significant contributor to America’s agricultural output and I am confident that Secretary Perdue will be a wonderful addition to the president’s cabinet and a perfect fit for USDA.”Perdue’s confirmation also comes as N.C.’s Washington delegation works in Congress to formulate a new farm bill to help American food producers, particularly as global food demand is expected to spike by 2050.
