Clarendon County’s agricultural heritage is taking center stage in this year’s race for South Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture. With three candidates connected to the county seeking the office, The Manning Times is launching a three-part feature series spotlighting their local roots, experience in agriculture and visions for the future of the industry. The remaining candidates will be featured in the weeks ahead.
For Deshawn Blanding, agriculture is not just a career path or campaign platform. It is family history, personal calling and a legacy generations in the making.
A son of Clarendon County’s rural Silver community, Blanding said agriculture has shaped his life from the beginning.
“Agriculture is part of my family’s story on both sides,” Blanding said.
On his father’s side, Blanding said his grandfather was a fourth-generation farmer and the descendant of a formerly enslaved man who began with a small farm that eventually grew into a 400-acre operation. On his mother’s side, his family worked in agriculture as farmworkers.
“Growing up here taught me that agriculture isn’t just an industry, it’s a way of life that connects families, communities, and the land,” he said.
Those roots would later grow into a career that has taken Blanding from local farmland to national agricultural leadership — and now into the race for South Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture.
Blanding said agriculture became central to his life when he joined FFA in high school, where he credits former advisor Coach Michael Haynes with helping shape his path.
“He taught us that leadership is about setting an example others can emulate,” Blanding said.
Through FFA, Blanding said he discovered how agriculture connects science, business, community and public service. That path led him to serve as a South Carolina FFA state vice president and later as the first National FFA Officer from South Carolina in 50 years, where he said he helped lead 650,000 FFA students and met with agricultural leaders across the country and around the world.
“That experience helped me realize agriculture wasn’t just my background; it is my calling,” he said.
Since then, Blanding has built a career that spans field work, policy and business leadership. Early on, he worked with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, helping farmers develop conservation plans and improve land management. He later moved into policy work, helping organizations translate local farm challenges into federal solutions.
Blanding also served as a staffer on both the U.S. Senate and House Agriculture Committees, where he worked in areas including food and farm policy, rural development, agricultural credit, horticulture, research and support for historically underserved farmers.
Today, his work centers on agricultural policy and advocacy. He said he works with coalitions, farm organizations and policymakers on issues tied to food access, rural economic development and agricultural resilience. He also co-leads AgQuity Solutions, a cooperative consulting business focused on food, environmental and agriculture sectors, while working to rebuild his family’s farm as the sixth generation.
He said that broad perspective is part of why he believes now is the right time to seek the state’s top agriculture office.
“I decided to run because agriculture is at a pivotal point globally, nationally, and statewide,” Blanding said.
He points to rising input costs, consolidation in land and agribusiness, limited processing infrastructure and pressure on rural communities as some of the biggest challenges facing the industry. One issue that concerns him most, he said, is generational continuity.
“The average farmer today is nearly 60 years old,” Blanding said. “If we don’t invest in the next generation and create opportunities for young producers, we risk losing the knowledge, land, and traditions that sustain our agricultural communities.”
If elected, Blanding said his priorities would include strengthening agricultural infrastructure, expanding local food supply chains, protecting working lands and investing in the next generation of agricultural leaders. He said that could include regional agricultural innovation centers, expanded in-state purchasing through programs like Certified South Carolina Grown, stronger disaster preparedness and more support for beginning farmers through land access, capital and training.
To Blanding, the role of Commissioner of Agriculture should extend beyond politics.
“The Commissioner of Agriculture should be the state’s chief advocate for farmers, the local food supply, and rural economic development,” he said.
That vision, he said, is also deeply personal.
“What motivates me most is honoring the legacy of my forefathers who came before me and ensuring agriculture remains strong for the next generation after me,” he said.
In a race that includes an unusual number of candidates with Clarendon County ties, Blanding said that reflects the county itself.
“Clarendon County has deep agricultural roots and a strong tradition of community leadership,” he said. “When you grow up in a place where agriculture is central to everyday life, you develop a strong sense of responsibility to protect it and help it grow.”
And for Blanding, that responsibility has become the mission of a lifetime.
