Agriculture commissioner

In the state governments of the United States, all 50 states have the executive position of agriculture commissioner, director of agriculture, or secretary of agriculture. This official is in charge of the state's agriculture department. The agriculture commissioners are organized at the national level by the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.[1]

The agriculture commissioner is elected in 12 states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina, and Texas. The powers and duties of the office vary from state to state, but are often substantial: in about 40 states, agriculture departments regulate the animal industry, and in roughly half the states, agriculture departments regulate food safety and meat inspection.[2] In some states, the agriculture commissioner has more power. For example, in Florida the agriculture commissioner is one of three members of the Florida Cabinet (along with the governor and attorney general), giving the commissioner some influence over state policy beyond agriculture.[2] In North Dakota, the agriculture commissioner sits on a number of important boards, such as the North Dakota Industrial Commission (which oversees the state-owned North Dakota Mill and Elevator and Bank of North Dakota).[2]

In the past, these positions were often filled by conservative Democrats, but since 2011 the offices of agriculture commissioners have been dominated by the Republican Party.[2]

Departments
State Officeholder Title Term start Party
Alabama Department of Agriculture and IndustriesRick PateCommissionerJanuary 2019Republican Party
Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of AgricultureArthur KeyesDirectorFebruary 17, 2016Nonpartisan
Arizona Department of AgricultureMark KillianDirectorApril 10, 2015Nonpartisan
Arkansas Department of AgricultureWes WardSecretary2015Nonpartisan
California Department of Food and AgricultureKaren RossSecretaryJanuary 12, 2011Nonpartisan
Colorado Department of AgricultureDon BrownCommissionerFebruary 17, 2015Nonpartisan
Connecticut Department of AgricultureSteven ReviczkyCommissionerMarch 1, 2011Nonpartisan
Delaware Department of AgricultureMichael ScuseSecretaryJanuary 25, 2017Nonpartisan
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer ServicesNikki FriedCommissionerJanuary 2019Democratic Party
Georgia Department of AgricultureGary BlackCommissionerJanuary 10, 2011Republican Party
Hawaii Department of AgricultureScott EnrightCommissionerJanuary 1, 2014Nonpartisan
Idaho Department of AgricultureCelia GouldDirectorJanuary 2, 2007Nonpartisan
Illinois Department of AgricultureRaymond PoeDirectorNovember 16, 2015Nonpartisan
Indiana Department of AgricultureBruce KettlerDirectorJanuary 8, 2018Nonpartisan
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land StewardshipMike NaigSecretaryMarch 1, 2018Republican Party
Kansas Department of AgricultureJackie McClaskeySecretaryDecember 10, 2013Nonpartisan
Kentucky Department of AgricultureRyan QuarlesCommissioner2016Republican Party
Louisiana Department of Agriculture and ForestryMichael G. StrainCommissionerJanuary 14, 2008Republican Party
Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and ForestryAmanda E. BealCommissioner2019Nonpartisan
Maryland Department of AgricultureJoe BartenfelderSecretaryDecember 23, 2014Nonpartisan
Massachusetts Department of AgricultureJohn LebeauxCommissionerFebruary 6, 2015Nonpartisan
Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural DevelopmentGordon WenkDirectorMarch 3, 2018Nonpartisan
Minnesota Department of AgricultureDavid FredericksonCommissioner2011Nonpartisan
Mississippi Department of Agriculture and CommerceAndy GipsonCommissioner2018Republican Party
Missouri Department of AgricultureChris ChinnDirector2017Nonpartisan
Montana Department of AgricultureBen ThomasDirectorJanuary 6, 2017Nonpartisan
Nebraska Department of AgricultureSteve WellmanDirectorDecember 5, 2017Nonpartisan
Nevada Department of AgricultureJim BarbeeDirectorJune 8, 2011Nonpartisan
New Hampshire Department of AgricultureShawn JasperCommissionerDecember 9, 2017Nonpartisan
New Jersey Department of AgricultureDouglas H. FisherSecretaryFebruary 10, 2009Nonpartisan
New Mexico Department of AgricultureJeff WitteSecretary2011Nonpartisan
New York State Department of Agriculture and MarketsRichard A. BallCommissionerJanuary 9, 2014Nonpartisan
North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer ServicesSteve TroxlerCommissionerFebruary 8, 2005Republican Party
North Dakota Department of AgricultureDoug GoehringCommissioner2009Republican Party
Ohio Department of AgricultureDavid T. DanielsDirectorFebruary 16, 2012Nonpartisan
Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and ForestryJim ReeseSecretaryJanuary 10, 2011Nonpartisan
Oregon Department of AgricultureAlexis TaylorDirectorJanuary 23, 2017Nonpartisan
Pennsylvania Department of AgricultureRussell ReddingSecretaryJanuary 20, 2015Nonpartisan
Rhode Island Department of AgricultureKenneth AyarsCommissioner1998Nonpartisan
South Carolina Department of AgricultureHugh WeathersCommissioner2005Republican Party
South Dakota Department of AgricultureMike JaspersSecretaryJune 7, 2016Nonpartisan
Tennessee Department of AgricultureJai TempletonCommissionerMay 1, 2016Nonpartisan
Texas Department of AgricultureSid MillerCommissioner2015Republican Party
Utah Department of Agriculture and FoodLuAnn AdamsCommissioner2014Nonpartisan
Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food and MarketsAnson TebbettsSecretaryJanuary 5, 2017Nonpartisan
Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer ServicesSandra J. AdamsCommissionerDecember 16, 2013Nonpartisan
Washington State Department of AgricultureDerek SandisonDirectorJune 15, 2015Nonpartisan
West Virginia Department of AgricultureKent LeonhardtCommissionerJanuary 16, 2017Republican Party
Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer ProtectionSheila HarsdorfSecretaryNovember 17, 2017Republican Party
Wyoming Department of AgricultureDoug MiyamotoDirectorMarch 15, 2015Nonpartisan
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References
  1. https://www.nasda.org/about
  2. Louis Jacobson, Where Have All the Democratic Agriculture Commissioners Gone?, Governing (February 26, 2016).
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