EDITORIAL: Lawson a great farm leader for the state

The decision to hire Darlington’s Laurie Lawson as the South Carolina executive director for the Farm Service Agency at the USDA was good news for farmers throughout the state, especially the Pee Dee.

Lawson, whose appointment was announced last week by the Obama administration, is uniquely qualified for the position and returns to a job he held during the Clinton administration.

Lawson has farmed 2,500 acres in Oates, a rural community outside Darlington, for more than 50 years. He has served the last eight years as assistant to the vice president of public service at Clemson University.

“Laurie has a solid understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing our rural communities,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said, “and will help build on the Obama administration’s effort to rebuild and revitalize rural America.”

Lawson, 77, served as chairman of the S.C. Agriculture Commission from 1979 to 1987. As chairman, he represented then-Gov. Dick Riley and advocated for rural South Carolinians on a national level.

“I’m very pleased to have the opportunity to again serve South Carolina farmers in rural areas of the state,” Lawson said in an interview with the Morning News. “I hope I can make a real difference in delivering the federal programs that they receive.”

The Farm Services Agency works to increase economic opportunity and improve the quality of life for rural Americans.

Some of the agency’s efforts include providing direct operating loans for farm equipment, seed and fertilizer, as well as rural housing loans to help rural people buy, build or rent housing.

“I came back because I enjoyed what I did immensely,” Lawson said. “I felt like I did well for the farmers and people and South Carolina.”

Agriculture is the No. 1 industry in South Carolina — not tourism, as many think. Tobacco and cotton are the top products, with farmers in the Pee Dee growing nearly half of the crops. Peanuts and soybeans increasingly are being tried as cash crops, as well.

“Agriculture is the backbone of South Carolina,” Lawson said, “and it’s the most-needed industry. I am fully committed to it.”

Lawson’s family continues a tradition of farming in Darlington County. It grows tobacco, soybeans, corn, wheat in sweet potatoes. In recent years, a turf-growing business has been added to the operation, selling grass to homebuilders and homeowners, especially in Myrtle Beach and Columbia.

“My great-grandfather came to Oates in 1834,” Lawson said, “and we’ve been farming ever since.”

Lawson’s love for the soil and people of the Pee Dee makes him an outstanding advocate for the region and state.

We congratulate Lawson on his appointment and thank him for returning to service in a much-needed capacity.

— Unsigned editorials represent the views of this newspaper. Editorial Board members are Mark Laskowski (regional publisher), James Bennett (regional editor), Sam Bundy (sports editor), Kimberly Ginfrida (news editor), David Johnson (regional circulation director), Charles Tomlinson (Lake City News & Post editor) and Jackie Torok (metro editor).