RALEIGH — North Carolina State Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler has won reelection for the fifth consecutive time over Democratic challenger Sarah Taber.
Troxler is the first Republican to hold the office in state history in over a century, with his tenure in the role beginning in 2005. The only other Republican to hold the office was John R. Smith (1898-99).
Troxler graduated from NC State University in 1974 with a bachelor’s degree in conservation with a concentration in environmental studies. He grew up in Browns Summit, located in Guilford County. He owns Troxler Farms in Guilford County with his primary crops of tobacco, wheat, vegetables and soybeans.
The 72-year-old Troxler is the past president of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA). Troxler also is a former chairman of NASDA’s Food Regulation and Nutrition Committee and received the 2015 NASDA award for his continued commitment to food safety. He has also served as past president of the Southern Association of State Departments of Agriculture (2010-11).
Boards that Troxler has served on include the N.C. Foundation for Soil and Water Conservation, the Rural Economic Development Center and the N.C. Biotechnology Center. He is also a member of the N.C. Tobacco Research Commission and the Southern United States Trade Association.
Troxler and his wife, Sharon, have two grown sons and five grandchildren.
During the campaign, the 41-year-old Taber billed herself as a crop scientist who has worked in the agriculture industry for 27 years. She also described herself as a farm operations specialist with an emphasis on food safety and supply chains.
Taber is from a military family with “roots in Harlan County, Kentucky,” per her campaign website.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental social science from Brigham Young University, a doctorate in plant medicine from the University of Florida (2005), and a postdoctorate degree from the University of Florida (2011).
In response to voter guide questionnaires about what her top priority would be, Taber said she wanted to rebuild “our failing farm economy,” citing the loss of farms due to costs of staying in business. North Carolina’s agriculture economic impact has grown during Troxler’s current term, jumping $18 billion since 2022, and it posted impact figures of more than $103 billion in 2023 and $111.1 billion in 2024.
Taber and her husband reside in Fayetteville, where her husband teaches at Fayetteville State.
