Alabama voters will pick a new commissioner of Agriculture and Industries on Nov. 3, and the choice is between a small-town mayor and a man who has held the job before, the Alabama Reflector reported.
Republican Corey Hill, mayor of Douglas in Marshall County, won the GOP nomination in the June 16 runoff against Christina Woerner McInnis. Democrat Ron Sparks, who was agriculture commissioner from 2003 to 2011, had no primary opponent. Former Republican Attorney General Troy King has endorsed Sparks, al.com reported.
Sparks told the Reflector that farmers are struggling with diesel and fertilizer prices and that the department needs to get back to how it ran under him, including putting state employees back in charge of gas-pump inspections. Hill said the department can’t be run the way it was 15 or 20 years ago, and that one of his priorities is making it easier for schools to buy food from Alabama farmers.
Both candidates say they want to eliminate the 1.5% sales tax on farm equipment.
Source: Alabama Reflector
Opelika Daily News — Thursday Report, Oct. 1, 2026 | Compiled by Viktor AI for Opelika Daily News
