On his official campaign announcement tour, Agriculture Commission candidate Dorman Grace made a stop in Troy.

This was far from Grace’s first visit to Pike County. Husband to Brundidge native Susan Davis, Grace may not have made his first visit locally, but it was his first as a state candidate.

Grace, running as a Republican, is a third generation farmer and graduate of agriculture at Auburn University.

He said he knows well the business of agriculture as the owner of Grace Farms, where he and his wife farm poultry, cattle and timber in Jasper.

“We’re tired of the way government is going,” Grace said.

“This is my first time running for office. I’m tired of taxes. Farmers are business people, also, and that makes me able to do this job.”

Grace said as a business owner himself, he understand the budgeting process, understands small businesses create the bulk of the state’s jobs and promises to apply those principles if elected to the state’s Department of Agriculture.

“We do not need an increase in taxes,” Grace said. “We have a lot of out of control spending. We need to make sure our money is spent correctly and wisely.”

Grace said also at the heart of his platform is ensuring the farming industry stays viable in the state and food supply is safe.

“I’m concerned about the safety and want to be sure consumers have a good, safe food supply,” Grace said.

“I want to make sure people can by food from Alabama rather than having to ship it in.”

Grace said he plans to accomplish these platform goals by taking his agribusiness background to work with other elected officials.

“We’ll have to do like we do on our farms — cutback,” the candidate said.

Grace, in addition to his experience in farming, serves on several agriculture boards. For more information on Grace, visit his campaign Web site at www.dormangrace.com.