Jim Graham, North Carolina's longest-serving agriculture commissioner, will be inducted into the N.C. Agricultural Hall of Fame on the fifth anniversary of his passing.

The invitation-only event will begin at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at the N.C. Museum of History Auditorium, 5 E. Edenton St.

Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler will preside over the ceremony. Guest speakers will be Rufus Edmisten, former attorney general and secretary of state; former Graham aide Peter Daniel; and Graham's daughters, Rep. Alice Graham Underhill and Connie Graham Brooks.

Graham served as agriculture commissioner from 1964-2001. During his record nine terms in office, he secured funding for a number of programs and facilities for agriculture and consumer services. These include programs to eradicate the boll weevil in cotton, eliminate pseudorabies, cholera and tuberculosis in hogs, and provide free soil samples to North Carolina residents. He developed a network of five state-owned farmers markets and three agricultural centers across the state. He also started the "Goodness Grows in North Carolina" marketing program, and set up a program to check gas pumps, scales and price scanners for accuracy.

Graham died Nov. 20, 2003, at the age of 82.

The N.C. Agricultural Hall of Fame was created by the General Assembly in 1953 to honor North Carolinians who have rendered distinguished service in the science and art of agriculture. Candidates for the hall must be deceased at least one year before they are eligible for membership. Graham will become the hall's 34th member.