NC Ag Partnership Honors Sen. Lisa Barnes and Rep. William Brisson For Service North Carolina Farmers
This week, the North Carolina Ag Partnership (NCAP) held its annual Farm Show Dinner in Raleigh, that coincides the North Carolina Farm Show. The annual event brings together farmers, agribusiness leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders from across North Carolina to Celebrate leadership, service, and commitment to rural communities.
At the dinner, the Partnership presents the Ag Champion of the Year Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award, honoring individuals whose service and deep ties to agriculture have made a lasting impact of North Carolina’s farming communities. The dinner also recognized political leaders who promote strong farm communities.
“The Farm Show Dinner allows us to recognize leaders whose service has strengthened North Carolina agriculture and the rural communities it supports,” North Carolina Ag Partnership Chairman Peter Daniel said. “Both of this year’s honorees exemplify the commitment and leadership that continue to move our state’s agricultural community forward.”
The 2026 Ag Champion of the Year Award, sponsored by Philip Morris International, recognizes a current public leader whose work in state government demonstrates a sustained commitment to advancing agriculture, agribusiness, and rural communities through policy leadership and advocacy.
This year, N.C. Senator Lisa Barnes (R- N.C. 11) received the 2026 Ag Champion of the Year Award. Barnes brought her firsthand experience of agribusiness and local government to her work in the North Carolina Senate, where she has been an advocate for policies that support farmers, rural communities, and responsible economic growth. Before joining the Senate, Barnes served on the Nash County Farmers Market Board and with the NC Association of County Commissioners Agricultural Steering Committee.
The 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award honors individuals whose career reflects decades of dedicated service to agriculture, rural communities, and the people of North Carolina. This year the award was presented to N.C. State Representative William D. Brisson, who is retiring after nearly two decades representing House District 22, which includes Bladen and Sampson counties. Brisson was first elected in 2006 and built a reputation as a steady and trust voice for rural North Carolina, consistently carrying the concerns of farmers, small towns and the concerns of farmers. At the General Assembly, Brisson focused on strengthening rural communities through support for agriculture, local schools, healthcare access, infrastructure, and broadband expansion.
The 2026 NC Ag Partnership Farm Show Dinner was made possible with the support of its premier sponsors, the NC Pork Council and the NC Farm Bureau. The event reception was sponsored by Wayne-Sanderson Farms, a leading poultry producer with deep roots in farm families and rural communities across the Southeast.
NCAP’s annual Farm Show Dinner serves as a forum to recognize excellence in agriculture while fostering dialogue among industry leaders and policymakers. The event has become a signature gathering for North Carolina’s agricultural community.
