“Grounded in Our Roots, Focused on Our Future”

- DeShawn L. Blanding

Pillar 2: PARTNERSHIPS

The Problem

South Carolina farmers produce incredible food, but too often the economic value leaves the state. At the same time, too many South Carolina families — especially in rural communities — face high food prices and limited access to fresh, locally grown products. These are not separate problems; they are two symptoms of the same broken supply chain. The solution is not charity… it is infrastructure, procurement, and cooperative power.

The Plan

  • South Carolina's commodity board structure was built for the agricultural economy of the last century. While existing commodity boards remain important, today's agricultural landscape is far more diverse. Convene a statewide Agricultural Advisory Council that includes both traditional commodity representatives and leaders from emerging industries like specialty crops, local food systems, aquaculture, and value-added agriculture. Rather than creating new marketing orders for every commodity, this council will ensure producers across South Carolina have a seat at the table, helping shape department priorities, identify market opportunities, and guide investments that strengthen agriculture for the next generation.

  • Retool the ACRE Grant Program to support applied research and innovation that strengthens South Carolina agriculture. In partnership with Clemson University, South Carolina State University, the state's community and technical colleges, and industry leaders, the program would invest in agricultural biotechnology, biomanufacturing, precision agriculture, food safety, soil health, and other conservation practices and emerging technologies. By connecting research with on-farm adoption, the initiative would help producers increase productivity, improve resilience, strengthen food safety, and keep South Carolina agriculture competitive.

  • Use the infrastructure and funding from the USDA Local Food Purchase Assistance program to support a Community Food Reserve Program that creates voluntary land-lease agreements with South Carolina farmers, compensating them to set aside a portion of their acreage for community-supported agriculture projects. Reserved plots produce fresh food for local families, faith communities, schools, and food-insecure households — while keeping farmers financially whole through fair lease payments and production support grants. Local nonprofit organizations, churches, and community groups serve as CSA project operators, connecting production directly to the families who need it most.

  • The Commissioner administers numerous federal grant streams — Specialty Crop Block Grants, USDA Rural Development funds, and more — that are largely inaccessible to small and beginning farm operations due to complexity.

    • Establish an SC Farm Grants Access and Outreach Program with dedicated grant navigators to help individual farmers, cooperatives, and rural organizations identify, apply for, and report on federal and state agricultural grant programs and resources.

    • Create a statewide food safety assistance and cost-share incentives to simplify access to training and audits, expand cooperative certification models, and review state procurement policies that create unnecessary barriers for local growers.

  • The Commissioner’s existing Market News function — weekly price, volume, and commodity reports published in partnership with USDA — is a critical but underutilized resource, particularly for small and beginning farmers entering commodity markets. Modernize and digitize it into a Farmer Decision Support System by:

    • Delivering market reports via SMS text alerts and a mobile-friendly platform accessible to farmers without reliable broadband.

    • Partnering with Clemson Extension and SC State’s 1890 Extension to translate market data into accessible formats for beginning farmers.

    • Disaggregating reports by region and farm size so small producers can see pricing relevant to their scale.

    • Expanding coverage to include specialty crops, direct market pricing, and local food hub transaction data — not just commodity markets.

  • Develop the next generation of South Carolina agricultural leaders by expanding education, improving workforce development, supporting farm entry, and strengthening rural communities.

    • Education & Workforce Development: Partner with the South Carolina Superintendent of Education, Clemson University, South Carolina State University, the state's community and technical colleges, and industry leaders to expand agricultural education, Career and Technical Education (CTE), dual enrollment, apprenticeships, and industry credentials that prepare students and adult learners for agricultural careers.

    • Beginning Farmer Support: Help new, young, beginning, and veteran farmers succeed through farm apprenticeships, mentorship, technical assistance, and forgivable startup loans that reduce barriers to entering agriculture.

    • Farmer Wellness & Community Resilience
      Support farmer mental health and strengthen rural communities through suicide prevention resources and a "Know Your Neighbor" outreach network that connects producers with trusted local support and services.

  • Establish a Farm Legal Assistance Program in partnership with SC law schools and legal services organizations to help small and beginning farmers navigate regulatory requirements — from heirs’ property title clearing to permit compliance. Pair this with a Regulatory Modernization Review of all 37 laws SCDA enforces, identifying provisions that are outdated, duplicative, or create unnecessary barriers for small farm operations, and committing to legislative modernization proposals in the first two years.