SC Ag Commissioner Hugh Weathers

 In September, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced $648,631 in funding awarded to South Carolina through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. Through this program, the South Carolina Department of Agriculture funds projects that strengthen South Carolina’s specialty crop industry through marketing, education, and research. Specialty crops include fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, and nursery crops. […]

(Washington, D.C., September 30, 2025)– U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide more than $38.3 million in Congressionally mandated recovery assistance to South Carolina agricultural producers through a block grant agreement with the South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA) to help producers recover from Hurricane Helene. […]

The South Carolina State Fair is set to return to Columbia from October 8–19, offering 12 days of family fun, community celebration, and a showcase of the state’s agricultural roots. This year’s theme, “Harvesting Happiness,” highlights the importance of connection, tradition, and shared experiences. Fairgoers can look forward to a dynamic mix of beloved classics […]

Agriculture leaders from across the country recently traveled to Ireland and the United Kingdom as part of a trade mission. We caught up with one member of that delegation — South Carolina Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers — who explained that the trip helped build networks that could lead to future commerce. When asked about the […]

Farmers face a lot of challenges, and they aren’t always good about asking for help. Let’s talk about a program in South Carolina that may help see people through dark times. The SC AgriWellness program offers free counseling services for farmers and farm families. This is a partnership between Clemson Extension, SC Farm Bureau, our […]

National Farmers Market Week is Aug. 3-9, 2025. Gov. McMaster issued a proclamation recognizing this week in South Carolina. American farmers receive about 15.9 cents of every dollar Americans spend on food, according to USDA ERS. Selling at markets improves that share. Farmers markets also act as small-business incubators. Markets offer a great opportunity to meet the […]

I understand you were up in Clemson last week for the South Carolina Commissioner’s School for Agriculture. Let’s hear about it.

In July 2024, the former DHEC was dissolved and the South Carolina Department of Agriculture took on some important new duties related to food safety. Let’s take a look at how that’s going. We now inspect restaurants under the Retail Food Safety program. We also took on Milk Safety and the Milk Lab. Additional duties […]

We’re in the heart of watermelon season in South Carolina. It’s a very strong watermelon season in South Carolina due to fairly consistent rainfall and temperatures. The melons have great flavor this year and volume is good. Unfortunately, Florida’s and Georgia’s seasons got pushed back a bit because of weather, so we’re seeing more fruit […]

The inaugural Tri-State Ag Expo is happening in Clemson SC on July 16 and 17 and Commissioner Weathers is here to tell us about it.