As an undergraduate at N.C. A&T, DeShawn Blanding knew that he wanted to work with agricultural policy.

“I want to work with food policy — food deserts, food insecurity, access and availability,” the agricultural and environmental systems major said as he prepared to graduate in 2019. “My professors have taught me how to think critically—how to go deeper into the issues. For example, to affect food insecurity, I have to know its history. For every food desert, there is the bigger issue of what opportunities lie in that community. That leads to bigger issues still, like education.”

Now, the former senior staffer for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture is poised to take an even deeper leap into the work of securing food systems and building farm infrastructure by joining the race for South CarolinaCommissionerof Agriculture.

Blanding, an agricultural and environmental systems major, won many accolades while at N.C A&T, including being the first HBCU-educated national officer of FFA (formerly Future Farmers of America).

Blanding announced his candidacy this spring in his home, the rural Silver community in Clarendon County, S.C. Using the theme “Rooted Forward,” he aims to build a more robust agricultural system that prioritizesfood and market access, local processing and economic development, and that strengthens farmers’ support systems. The general election will be held in November.

“This has been my goal for a while. It’s time for us to do things differently,” he said. “A&T taught me a more cooperative business model for agriculture, one that prioritizes local job development and the next generation. Cooperation is at the core of our reset plan.”

As a former policy and strategy specialist for the Rural Coalition and a senior Washington representative for the Food and Environment Program, Blanding is no stranger to reaching across the aisle. As a lead negotiator on many of the 2026 Farm Bill’s priorities, he secured an additional $60million for heirs' property assistance in the areas of outreach, legal support, mediation and resolution.

“Issues like nutrition and food access can’t be partisan,” he said. ““Ag touches every part of our lives, whether you shop at the grocery store or farm. You have to be able to talk through it and find common ground.”

While at N.C. A&T, Blanding was a standout student: a senator representing the College of Agriculture ; Collegiate FFA/Farm Bureau chapter officer; chapter president and national regional vice president of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS); a USDA 1890s Scholar; and the first HBCU-educated national officer of FFA (formerly Future Farmers of America).

As the fourth-generation farmer moves forward with his campaign, he will take lessons learned on campus and in the classroom with him.

“A&T taught me to think globally and act locally. It helped me see things differently,” he said. “When agriculture struggles, every community pays the price. My vision is to build a more robust, community-centered agriculture model.”