S.C. agriculture chief warns of tightening markets, seeks funding to support farmers

South Carolina Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers told the House Agriculture and Natural Resources and Environmental Committee on Monday that while 2025 produced solid yields for several crops, narrowing margins and market shifts pose a risk to production agriculture.

Weathers, who is serving his final term after more than two decades in office, said peaches and corn had good yields last year but soybeans and other crops saw reduced returns. He cited USDA data and local farm reports to describe a ‘gap’ in farm revenues driven by higher input costs and lower crop prices in key markets.

The commissioner laid out several department priorities. He said the U.S. Department of Agriculture has allocated a final $38,000,000 block grant for Hurricane Helene relief; about $9–10 million of that will be administered by the South Carolina Forestry Commission to address tree losses, while the remainder will be targeted to farm infrastructure and income losses not covered by earlier programs. Weathers said the state has built a web portal for farmer applications and will coordinate with USDA and Clemson extension for outreach.

Weathers also summarized the Growing Agribusiness Fund, a one‑time $40,000,000 allocation made in 2023. He said roughly $31,000,000 has been obligated to date for projects such as poultry processing and timber‑processing facilities and asked lawmakers to replenish the fund with a $30,000,000 budget request to continue supporting rural value‑added projects.

On school food procurement, Weathers described a new ‘Certified South Carolina Cafeteria’ pilot, backed by $1,000,000 in recurring funding, to make it easier for certified local producers to sell to school nutrition programs. The department is building an online clearinghouse to match certified suppliers with districts and plans to help smaller farmers offset certification costs and provide traceability through food hubs and barcodes.

Committee members pressed Weathers on details: how the Helene block grant will be delivered (Weathers said USDA will hold funds and the department will process claims), how tariffs have affected input costs (Weathers deferred for precise numbers and offered to provide data), and what the Growing Agribusiness Fund has accomplished. He described the fund as a reimbursement program and said it has supported projects aimed at expanding processing capacity and exports.

Weathers also introduced an Agricultural Stabilization Initiative — a proposed temporary safety‑net program that would provide refundable tax credits to eligible farmers who document operating losses — and asked the committee to review and support the measure when it arrives.

The committee recessed for lunch and planned follow‑up on the department’s website details and the stabilization proposal. The department committed to provide tariff impact data and the web address for Helene claims to committee staff.