Perspective | Growing North Carolina’s future starts in our schools
Cattle farmers know what it takes to raise healthy animals. Proven over time, it’s a process that relies on us to be vigilant at every step — providing the proper care and nutrition the livestock need to grow healthy and strong. If we miss a step along the way, we cannot suddenly make up for it down the road.
I’ve seen this process firsthand as my family has owned and operated cattle farms in Harnett County for four generations. We know that proper preparation and investment do not happen by accident. My years of public service have also taught me that the same principle applies to children.
We have a good understanding of what children need to grow, learn, and succeed. Among the most important, but often overlooked, is access to nutritious food.
During the month of October, we’re celebrating National Farm to School Month. While the idea of serving fresh, locally produced food on breakfast and lunch trays in cafeterias across the state is not new in North Carolina, we have the opportunity to build upon something that is working well.
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Feeding North Carolina students with food grown and produced in our state is a prudent investment in both our children and our economy. This month, we have the opportunity to recognize and highlight the mutually beneficial partnerships that are occurring between farmers and school districts.
These partnerships are helping to fill important needs. For students, food helps them arrive at school ready to learn. For families, the farm-to-school approach offers greater food security and takes some of the pressure off household budgets. For agriculture, it creates financial opportunities for local farmers and keeps more dollars flowing through our communities.
Over 200 million breakfasts and lunches are served in our school cafeterias each year. Studies indicate that each dollar spent on North Carolina farmers selling their meats, fruits, grains, and vegetables to local school systems can add an additional 60 cents to $2.16 into the local economy. That’s a revenue generator that not only supports the farmer but boosts the communities where they live.
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For today’s farmers, having access to a dependable marketplace is a huge benefit. When that demand is close to home and becomes an asset to the community, it strengthens the family farm. We can always use more farmers in North Carolina, and this serves as another way to generate knowledge and interest in agribusiness.
This virtuous cycle will pay dividends down the road. North Carolina’s future workforce is sitting in its school classrooms; and some of them arrive without enough nutrition in their bellies. Food, specifically breakfast and lunch provided by schools, is as important an ingredient in a young person’s developmental success as learning to read. Teachers will tell you that they cannot teach the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic if a child is hungry.
The North Carolina General Assembly has been working to address the issue. I cosponsored House Bill 774, School Breakfast for All, during the 2025-26 session, supporting breakfast for every public school student at no cost to their families, along with a $5 million farm-to-table initiative to further the investment in locally grown food.
The state legislature furthered that commitment in the 2026-27 state budget with a $2.5 million appropriation of nonrecurring funding to help public schools purchase locally grown food — including beef. These are steps in the right direction.
North Carolina has long been regarded as one of the best states for business in the U.S. The state’s economic development leaders will tell you that the new business development process is a long game. Economic opportunities are not just realized when a new venture is announced. The foundation is laid years before as the workforce pipeline is being developed.
When we recruit businesses and new jobs, it’s important to remember that those wins require the workforce to be healthy, educated, and prepared to succeed. We cannot expect a strong future harvest if we’re unwilling to invest in what we’re trying to grow today.
We are blessed to live in one of America’s great agricultural states. Our farmers produce food that can nourish our students, and I believe smart policy can help bridge the hunger gap while strengthening the communities that produce that food. With North Carolina-grown food, we can nourish North Carolina-grown talent and help build North Carolina’s future.