Meet Bear Hammonds

I’m running for North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture to support our farmers, preserve our family farms, and ensure food security for all North Carolinians.

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Father with two children in a field near a large house.

My Vision for North Carolina’s Future

I was raised on a multi-generational family farm where hard work, faith, and community weren't just taught—they were lived. From running Hammonds Land & Cattle to serving our nation in combat and raising a family of my own, I've seen firsthand what North Carolina families need to thrive.

As your next Commissioner of Agriculture, I'll fight to protect our way of life—preserving family farms, strengthening local food systems, and ensuring our state remains a leader in safe, reliable, and sustainable agriculture. My vision is simple: keep government out of the way, put North Carolina families first, and secure a future where local producers feed our people, fuel our economy, and honor our roots.

Growing Up on the Farm

Farm-life in the 80's

Bear Hammonds was raised in the Saddletree community of Robeson County, where farming was more than a job. It was a way of life. He grew up on his family's cow-calf, hay, and row-crop farm, where he learned early that faith, family, hard work, and personal responsibility are the values that keep both a farm and a community strong.

Bear was raised by parents who believed in service and honesty. His father, Ronald Hammonds, has spent a lifetime in agriculture, and his mother, Linda Hammonds, dedicated her career to public education. From them, he learned the importance of character, discipline, and keeping one's word.

As a boy, Bear was active in 4-H and livestock judging, and he spent his youth working cattle, baling hay, fixing fences, and helping care for the land. He made time for Boy Scouts, hunting, and playing baseball. He also grew up during some of the harder years in agriculture, when farm families had to fight to survive against rising costs, changing markets, and outside pressures. Over 12% of US farms stopped operating or went bankrupt from 1980 through 1990. Those years shaped his grit, his values, and his deep respect for the people who work the land.

That upbringing made Bear the man he is today: honest, grounded, hardworking, and committed to protecting North Carolina agriculture for the next generation.

Present day....

Bear is married to Nicole, and together they have three children: Elaina, Claire, and Colby Jr. (CJ).

Elaina is married to Robert Henderson of Holly Springs, NC, and they have two kids of their own: Tristan, Caroline, and one on the way.

Hammonds Land & Cattle

Agriculture Experience

Bear Hammonds knows agriculture because he lives it every day.

Bear and his family operate an active farm in southern Wake County, in an area that was once rural but has seen rapid growth, heavy development, and increasing traffic over the years. As more farmland has disappeared and many local farmers have retired, the Hammonds family has remained committed to keeping their land active and productive. When he purchased his Wake County farm in 2012, there were nine other independent farms located on his rural 1-mile stretch of road. Today, his farm is the last. All other farms have gone the way of high-capacity subdivisions.

Most of Bear's time is spent on the family farm he grew up on in Robeson County. This farm raises commercial cow/calf pairs, broiler-size poultry, and pasture-raised beef for private treaty sales, livestock action, and local consumers. Bear also maintains a registered seed stock of Irish Dexter cattle, a breed known for its gentle disposition and quality meat and milk production. For small-scale pork production, the family favors pastured-raised Berkshire hogs, valued for their calm temperament and excellent meat quality.

Military Service

Bear Hammonds has spent his life answering the call to serve. At just 18 years old, Private Hammonds donned the uniform and began a 33-year military career, serving in the United States Army, the North Carolina Army National Guard, and the Army Reserve, retiring as a Colonel. During Bear Hammonds' long military career, he served as an armored tank crew member, tank commander, and attack helicopter pilot, and ended his career in financial management.

Over those three decades, Bear served with honor, including two combat deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq in defense of our nation and the freedoms we hold dear. During his deployments, his father and the neighborhood farmers help maintain his livestock and properties. His military service taught him the values that built this country: duty, sacrifice, courage, personal responsibility, and putting others before yourself.

Colonel Hammonds' last duty assignment was the G-8 Director of Accounting for the United States Army Forces Command located at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

For Bear, service has never been about titles or recognition. It has always been about love of country, commitment to others, and the willingness to stand firm when it matters most. Those years in uniform shaped his character, strengthened his faith in God, and deepened his belief that leadership must be grounded in integrity, humility, and service.

North Carolinians deserve leaders who love this country, respect its people, and understand what it means to serve something greater than themselves. Bear Hammonds has lived that calling for more than three decades, and he will bring that same honor, discipline, and commitment to the office of Commissioner of Agriculture.

Bear Hammonds has spent a lifetime serving God, country, and community, and he is ready to keep serving the people of North Carolina.

Note: For our military-minded individuals, see the attached PDF below for a military biographical summary of Colonel Hammonds' military career.

Education

After high school, Bear Hammonds attended North Carolina State University, where he earned his undergraduate degree in Animal Science. He has since completed several advanced degrees, including:

Master of Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College
Master of Business Administration from North Carolina State University
Master of Trust & Wealth Management from Campbell University
Army Cost Management Certification from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California
Graduate Marketing Certification from North Carolina State University
Certificate in Financial Planning from Liberty University

During his military career, Colonel Hammonds achieved the following Department of Defense certification:

Financial Management Certification Level III
Certified Defense Financial Management with Acquisition

Community Involvement

The Hammonds family has a long record of community service. Bear believes farming is not just about production, it's about stewardship, education, and passing agricultural values to the next generation. Throughout the year, the Hammonds family opens their farm for local school educational activities and youth engagement, including hosting local Boy/Girl Scout groups for fishing and farm-life learning experiences.

History of volunteering to support his community:

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America mentor 2009 - 2011
Boy Scouts of America Pack 75, Fuquay-Varina, NC, Den Leader and Finance Chairman 2022 - 2025
American Legion Post 116
Active member of Hope Community Church in Apex, NC, where he serves on the Security Team.

Active member with the following industry groups:

North Carolina Cattlemen's Association
Ranchers Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA)
Wake County Farm Bureau Board Member
- serves on the Beef Cattle Committee
North Carolina Pecan Growers' Association
North Carolina Angus Association
American Dexter Cattle Association
- serves on the Pedigree & Genetics Committee