Commissioner of Agriculture
The Commissioner of Agriculture helps North Carolina farms stay in business and innovate. The Commissioner of Agriculture also protects North Carolinians by performing food and drug testing.
There are 2 candidates for the Office of North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture.
All answers are provided in text and audio files for each candidate. To navigate through the questions you may either scroll through this page to read or listen to their answers, or use the links below to jump directly to specific questions.
The primary candidates for the office of Commissioner of Agriculture were each asked the following questions:
Candidate Questions
1. What are your top three priorities?
2. What can be done to make gas stations more accessible?
3. What can be done to make the state fair more accessible?
4. How will you improve access to the internet in rural and low-income communities?
6. What can be done to make farming more accessible, especially in terms of agricultural equipment?
The complete audio of all responses for the Commissioner of Agriculture’s race:
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Jenna Wadsworth (D)
My top 3 priorities include: expanding new and diverse crop markets for additional revenue streams in order to support our family farmers (including through the legalization of cannabis, expanding hemp, and plant-based products), tackling climate change head-on and building resiliency into farm plans, as well as bridging the growing urban-rural divide (in part through bettering rural healthcare options and expanding rural broadband access).
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Jenna Wadsworth (D)
The Commissioner's office is responsible for fuel safety and quality. Accessibility of gas stations is controlled by other governing bodies. However, I am happy to listen to your concerns and see how we can work together to advocate for any changes that would make gas stations more accessible.
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Audio (Spanish):
Jenna Wadsworth (D)
I believe it is important to ask people with firsthand experience as to what challenges they are facing with accessibility at the Fair, and I am eager to figure out how we can collaboratively address those concerns and create an atmosphere that is accessible for all. Groups such as Disability Rights NC would be welcomed in my office, where I would bring in the State Fair Manager and other relevant staff for us to engage in a dialogue about how to improve accessibility for all.
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Jenna Wadsworth (D)
My platform includes bridging the ever widening urban-rural divide in our state. As someone who grew up on a farm in Johnston County but who has been elected to office in Wake County, I feel that I've lived in both worlds. In order for rural communities to succeed, they need high quality healthcare, as well as access to rural broadband that allows them to compete in the global marketplace. As Commissioner, I will advocate for high speed broadband access and work with legislators
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Jenna Wadsworth (D)
I will work to ensure that potential employees with disabilities know that they are both welcome and wanted on my staff. As Commissioner, I would ensure that individuals have equal access to employment, advancement, and learning opportunities within the North Carolina Department of Agriculture.
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Jenna Wadsworth (D)
We can work with the agriculture departments at NC State and NC A&T to develop research projects and seek grant funding to develop enhanced tools and methods of accessibility in the agricultural industry. I will also ensure that all programming handled by the department is planned with accessibility in mind. Making farming more accessible makes for a more representative industry and a sustainable future for the Agricultural industry.
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Jenna Wadsworth (D)
We can keep farmers with disabilities farming by ensuring that Department resources are accessible to all individuals. This means working to make sure facilities overseen by the department are built and maintained with accessibility for all individuals. Marketing of all available tools, grants, and resources to our small farmers would be another effort of my administration to keep our farmers farming.
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