Rep. Jeffers files bill in North Carolina House to support small farmers

A new bill filed by State Rep. Jeffers in the North Carolina House seeks to support small farmers through grants and tax relief programs, according to the North Carolina State House.

The bill, filed as HB 617 on March 31 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘Supporting Small Farmers for NC’s Future Act.’

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill aims to support small farmers in North Carolina by establishing a grant program and lowering the income requirements for sales tax exemptions. It creates the Small Farmers Support Grant Program within the Department of Agriculture, offering tiered grants to farmers with annual incomes of $300,000 or less, to assist with essential equipment and infrastructure improvements. Funded with $20 million from the General Fund for fiscal year 2025-26, allocations include $12 million for general purposes, $3 million for cold storage equipment, $4 million for the Carolina Farm Steward Association’s FarmsSHARE program, and $1 million for bridge loans for Environmental Quality Incentives Program participants. Additionally, the bill reduces the annual income requirement for a sales tax exemption certificate from $10,000 to $7,500 for qualifying farmers. This act becomes effective July 1, 2025, with the tax exemption changes applying to exemption certificates issued on or after that date.

Of the four sponsors of this bill, Rodney D. Pierce proposed the most bills (16) during the 2025 regular session.

Bills in North Carolina follow a multi-step process before becoming law. A lawmaker starts by filing a bill, which is assigned to a committee for review. The bill must be read three times in each chamber. If one chamber changes the bill after the other passes it, both must agree on the final version. Once both chambers approve the same bill, it goes to the governor, who has 10 days (or 30 if the legislature is not in session) to sign, veto, or let it become law without a signature.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.

Jeffers, a Democrat, was elected to the North Carolina State House in 2023 to represent the state’s 2nd House district, replacing previous state representative Larry Yarborough.