UNION COUNTY, N.C. — Six Republican candidates are vying for the party's nomination for the open congressional seat in the newly drawn District 8.
District 8 is on the southern border of the state including Cabarrus, Stanly, Montogomery, Union, Anson, Richmond, Scotland and Robeson counties and a sliver of Mecklenburg County.
Spectrum News 1 is taking a look at big issues for voters ahead of the March 5 primary elections. In the 8th Congressional District, that includes issues important to farmers and the agriculture industry.
Agriculture and agribusiness make up about a sixth of the state's income and employment. Union and Robeson County are in the top five in the state for total farm income, bringing in over $993,000 total between the two, according to the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services.
Cameron Simpson is a fifth generation farmer in the district with almost 3,000 acres across three counties.
Simpson is raising, hopefully, the sixth generation of farmers. He said when he is not planning, budgeting, planting or harvesting, he makes occasional visits to Washington D.C. to talk to North Carolina representatives.
"I don't have the time to go and do hill visits, but I make time. And the reason I made time is because not only am I speaking for myself and my personal interests, but mostly, the interest of everybody else — the interests of farmers and agriculture as a group," Simpson said. "My belief is if I don't do it, then who will. Maybe nobody."
During Simpson's most recent visit at the end of January, he said the H-2A farmer worker visa program and the Farm Bill were part of the discussion.
According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, "The H-2A program allows U.S. employers or U.S. agents who meet specific regulatory requirements to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary agricultural jobs."
Simpson's concern is that the H-2A program requirements are making it unaffordable for farmers to hire labor.
The Farm Bill is legislation that provides subsidies for crop insurances for farmers, and increases access to food for low income families with programs like SNAP. According to the USDA, of the $428 billion for the bill's five year span, 2019 to 2023, about 76% of the funds went to nutrition programs, with the remaining going towards conservation, crop insurance, commodities and other categories.
Customarily, the Farm Bill is passed every five years. After being delayed in Congress, President Biden signed a budget extension in November 2023. It extends the current 2018 farm bill until September 30, 2024.
Simpson said when that time comes, reference prices for crops need to be updated from when the current law was enacted in 2018.
"In District 8, those prices are meaningless and they do us no good, which is an inflation issue," Simpson said. "The reference prices have not met inflation and our goods that we buy to produce these crops have skyrocketed over the years."
Simpson says when he casts his ballot, he is looking for a candidate who supports farmers, or it could mean losing farms and importing goods, leading to higher prices at the grocery store.
Generally, all six Republican candidates — Allan Baucom, John Bradford III, Don Brown, Leigh Brown, Mark Harris, and Chris Maples — have expressed their support for farmers and their impact on the local economy.
Chris Maples said he has worked on farm bill protections before for farmers in the southeast when he worked for Rep. Richard Hudson.
Candidates Leigh Brown, Allan Baucom and Mark Harris align, saying the Farm Bill needs to focus solely or mostly on farmers. Currently, it's an omnibus bill, a single bill that packages several topics into some longer document.
Brown suspects that is why it is having issues passing Congress.