U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr will be in Raleigh today.

The two senators will attend the AgFIRST! forum on food safety sponsored by the N.C. Department of Agriculture at the N.C. State Fairgrounds.

They will be joined by U.S. Reps. Howard Coble, Walter Jones and Brad Miller. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler is hosting the event.

The forum will focus on protecting state crops, responding to foreign animal diseases and developing programs for recalling tainted food.

Speakers include top officials with the Agriculture department, an assistant commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and representatives of Harris Teeter and Food Lion.

The event will be at the Kerr Scott building from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. 

State Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler is kicking off his re-election campaign this evening. But the event is not going to evoke images of Old McDonald’s farm.

Tom Smith, the former CEO of the Food Lion grocery chain — and one-time star of his company’s TV ads — is hosting a $500-a-plate dinner on his farm outside Salisbury, Rob Christensen reports. About 300 people are expected to show up to enjoy beef brisket and pork roast.

The special guest at the event will be former NASCAR driver Richard Childress, a prosperous businessman who owns a vineyard and a cattle farm.

Troxler, a Republican, won a squeaker in 2004 over Democrat Britt Cobb.