Agriculture is a foundational industry to North Carolina’s economy. But, the industry still faces persistent challenges...

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Hi there,

Agriculture is a foundational industry to North Carolina’s economy. But, the industry still faces persistent challenges, especially when it comes to labor shortages and housing for farmworkers.

Migrant and seasonal farmworkers are essential for the productivity of North Carolina’s farms, yet housing shortages make it difficult to accommodate them.

Estimates suggest ([link removed]) that North Carolina employs approximately 150,000 seasonal and migrant farmworkers, every year.

But farms continue to struggle to find sufficient labor, particularly as younger generations in rural communities seek employment outside of agriculture.

As a result, farms have to rely on migrant labor, raising the importance of addressing this critical workforce’s living conditions.

To support agriculture, North Carolina has specific legislation which allows farms to avoid certain zoning restrictions by creating a “bona fide farm” exception (NCGS § 160D-903), which allows a farm owner to provide housing, given that housing is on the farm and clearly supports its operation.

However, there are still many barriers to constructing housing for farmworkers. The high cost of land and materials, rising interest rates, access to financing, ambiguous regulations and the permitting process all pose challenges to farm owners.

To address these challenges, there would need to be short-term and long-term solutions that balance the needs of farmworkers and the realities facing farmowners. Some potential solutions include:
* Expansion of the H-2A visa program
+ Simplifying and expanding the H-2A visa program could provide farms with a more consistent labor supply, making it easier to justify more investments in worker housing
* Lowering property taxes
+ Lowering property taxes on farm properties designed for farmworker housing would make it more economical to build and maintain adequate housing
* Zoning reform for agricultural housing
+ Creating a streamlined bureaucratic process for farm-related housing would reduce red tape and encourage farms to provide more safe and compliant accommodations for workers

Ensuring safe and stable housing for farmworkers can strengthen North Carolina’s farms, and better support the essential workers who help feed our state and nation.

You can read more here ([link removed]) , here ([link removed]) and here ([link removed]) .

Esse quam videri,

Brooke Medina


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* While other wars may have been bloodier for the United States, it’s important to remember how WWI changed the course of both world and American history
+ By 1918, the war, and how it had been administered, had discredited the global ruling class in the eyes of the masses
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* In 2022, Gov. Roy Cooper issued Executive Order 246, which called for 1.25 million zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) and 50% of new car sales to be ZEVs in North Carolina by 2030
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o The report estimates an additional 17,660 charging ports would be needed along North Carolina’s highways and secondary roads, with a total cost of $883 billion
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o Any emission-reduction benefits would be canceled out by China’s rapidly rising emissions

You can read the full report here ([link removed]) .

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+ Gannon assured that issues with the results would be resolved prior to the results being certified.

You can read more here ([link removed]) .

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