I’m a farmer in eastern NC. Don’t believe what Donald Trump and Michael Whatley just told you | Opinion
Eastern North Carolina is my home. I love this place – and I’ve worked hard throughout my career to help make life better for the people who live here. I was a member of the Rocky Mount City Council from 2018 until this week and it’s been a true honor to serve this community.
I’m also a farmer, like many of the people who live here. I run an organization in Edgecombe County that works with other farmers, food banks, and almost 70 churches all across the state to help distribute fresh, healthy food to those who need it. And I love what I do. But it’s getting a lot harder.
Because what I’m hearing right now from my customers, those our organization serves, our farmers, and Eastern North Carolina families is that they’re hurting – and it’s because of the federal policies coming out of Washington right now.
The farmers I work with throughout Eastern North Carolina tell me that because of the tariffs, their costs are through the roof and they can’t grow as many crops as they used to. They tell me that just breaking even on profits this year would be a victory.
And for my own team, at the Conetoe Family Life Center, that means fewer meals available for Eastern North Carolina families who need help. We’ve had to let staff members go, even as a rising number of families come in looking for food. Especially around the holidays, that’s a big problem.
The food banks and churches my organization works with don’t have enough to meet the needs of their communities. Lines have gotten longer and there’s not as much fresh produce to go around for the families who need it the most.
And with all the chaos and uncertainty surrounding SNAP benefits, families are asking me and the people I work with how they’re going to feed their children. It’s taking an around-the-clock effort to fight back against what the federal government is doing. People in Rocky Mount are anxious and scared – I see it every day.
Every day, I’m on the ground with people who are working around the clock to solve these problems. Leaders of churches and food banks who have dedicated their lives toward helping keep Eastern North Carolina families fed. And I’m proud of the way we’ve come together to address these problems – but it shouldn’t be this hard. And right now, we’re scared of what might happen if the federal government keeps this up.
This is not an abstract problem. There are children and families right here in Nash and Edgecombe counties who are going hungry because of the federal government’s policies and their unwillingness to work to bring costs down.
Meanwhile, U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley has been lying to us every chance he gets. He insists that “costs are down” and has cheered on the federal government’s tariffs, even as families across the state are struggling. It’s shameful.
Working families across North Carolina are feeling it. Prices at the grocery store are way up. It’s harder to pay rent and utility bills. Health care and rural hospitals are on the chopping block. And last night, when President Trump and Whatley showed up to Rocky Mount to tout their “agenda,” it made me angry. How could they celebrate their policies like that when so many people here are struggling? How could they talk about how strong the economy is when families in my town can’t afford to put food on the table? How could they come here right before Christmas, the most hopeful time of the year, and lie to our faces about grocery prices and the president’s policies having a positive impact on farmers? It was plain wrong, and Eastern North Carolina deserves better.
I spend my days talking with people who are just trying to get by. And I can tell you right now – they didn’t need a rally. They don’t need the President and Michael Whatley lying about how well things are going. They need help.
This story was originally published December 20, 2025 at 5:00 AM.