Policymakers debate the definition of “sustainable agriculture” in S.B. 513

The word “sustainable” seems to be tossed around Asheville and Western North Carolina more often than a baseball at a Tourists game. Yet defining what that term means to in regards to agriculture has raised debate among several farm advocacy organizations and state lawmakers as a bill that could broaden that definition comes up for vote in the State Assembly today.

Language in S.B. 513, titled the “Farm Act,” would potentially expand the definition of what constitutes sustainable agriculture in North Carolina, allowing larger farm operations that do not currently fall under that label to market themselves as “sustainable,” according to a report by the North Carolina News Service.

“We have a lot of hard working, smaller-scale farmers in the state who have done the hard work by building trust by being transparent about their practices,” says Rochelle Sparko, policy director at the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, in the article. She adds that larger factory farms are unfairly trying to profit from the popularity of this label.

The House is expected to vote on a version of the act today.

Read the full article from North Carolina News Service here.

SHARE
About Max Hunt
Max Hunt grew up in South (New) Jersey and graduated from Warren Wilson College in 2011. History nerd; art geek; connoisseur of swimming holes, hot peppers, and plaid clothing. Follow me @J_MaxHunt

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.