TheFirstFurrow

In a special edition of North Carolina Farm Bureau’s Capitol Roundup, NCFB’s State Legislative Director and Legislative Counsel Jake Parker provides information about how a recent legal decision has forced some changes to North Carolina’s Congressional districts, and how those changes have thrown a wrench in the state’s primary election schedule.

Last week, we explained why the timing is right for the Connect NC bond. This week we want to talk about a couple of the projects included in the bond that are important for North Carolina agriculture.

Those projects are the Plant Science Initiative at NC State University and a new, co-located laboratory facility for the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA).

But first let’s take a moment to consider why the General Assembly included these agriculture-based projects in the bond package. Agriculture is our state’s number one industry, generating about $78 billion a year. Nearly one out of every five jobs is related to agriculture. Our state leaders know that a thriving agriculture economy means a thriving North Carolina economy.

And so they included these two major agriculture investments in the Connect NC bond.

The Connect NC bond is coming to a ballot box near you on March 15th! That’s right, the $2 billion bond referendum will be on the ballot when you vote in North Carolina’s primary election. Some of you probably know a little bit about the bond, but many of you may not.

So what is the Connect NC bond, why do we need it, and how does it work?