# 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.
The agriculture commissioner is elected in 12 states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina, Texas, and West Virginia. 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. In some states, the agriculture commissioner has more power. For example, in Florida the agriculture commissioner is one of four members of the Florida Cabinet (along with the governor, chief financial officer, and attorney general), giving the commissioner some influence over state policy beyond agriculture. 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).

## Departments

| State | Officeholder | Title | Term start | Party |
| Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries | Rick Pate | Commissioner | January 14, 2019 | Republican Party |
| Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Agriculture | Bryan Scoresby | Director | February 10, 2023 | Nonpartisan |
| Arizona Department of Agriculture | Paul Brierley | Director | June 26, 2023 | Nonpartisan |
| Arkansas Department of Agriculture | Wes Ward | Secretary | 2015 | Nonpartisan |
| California Department of Food and Agriculture | Karen Ross | Secretary | January 12, 2011 | Nonpartisan |
| Colorado Department of Agriculture | Kate Greenberg | Commissioner | December 21, 2018 | Nonpartisan |
| Connecticut Department of Agriculture | Bryan Hurlburt | Commissioner | March 29, 2019 | Nonpartisan |
| Delaware Department of Agriculture | Michael Scuse | Secretary | January 25, 2017 | Nonpartisan |
| Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services | Wilton Simpson | Commissioner | January 3, 2023 | Republican Party |
| Georgia Department of Agriculture | Tyler Harper | Commissioner | January 12, 2023 | Republican Party |
| Hawaii Department of Agriculture | Sharon Hurd | Commissioner | March 31, 2023 | Nonpartisan |
| Idaho Department of Agriculture | Chanel Tewalt | Director | January 23, 2023 | Nonpartisan |
| Illinois Department of Agriculture | Jerry Costello II | Director | February 28, 2020 | Nonpartisan |
| Indiana Department of Agriculture | Bruce Kettler | Director | January 8, 2018 | Nonpartisan |
| Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship | Mike Naig | Secretary | March 1, 2018 | Republican Party |
| Kansas Department of Agriculture | Mike Beam | Secretary | January 14, 2019 | Nonpartisan |
| Kentucky Department of Agriculture | Jonathan Shell | Commissioner | January 1, 2024 | Republican Party |
| Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry | Michael G. Strain | Commissioner | January 14, 2008 | Republican Party |
| Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry | Amanda E. Beal | Commissioner | 2019 | Nonpartisan |
| Maryland Department of Agriculture | Kevin Atticks | Secretary | January 18, 2023 | Nonpartisan |
| Massachusetts Department of Agriculture | Ashley Randle | Commissioner | March 6, 2023 | Nonpartisan |
| Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development | Tim Boring | Director | March 27, 2023 | Nonpartisan |
| Minnesota Department of Agriculture | Thomas E. Petersen | Commissioner | January 7, 2019 | Nonpartisan |
| Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce | Andy Gipson | Commissioner | April 2, 2018 | Republican Party |
| Missouri Department of Agriculture | Chris Chinn | Director | January 29, 2017 | Nonpartisan |
| Montana Department of Agriculture | Christy Clark | Director | January 31, 2022 | Nonpartisan |
| Nebraska Department of Agriculture | Steve Wellman | Director | December 5, 2017 | Nonpartisan |
| Nevada Department of Agriculture | Jennifer Ott | Director | March 4, 2019 | Nonpartisan |
| New Hampshire Department of Agriculture | Shawn Jasper | Commissioner | December 9, 2017 | Nonpartisan |
| New Jersey Department of Agriculture | Ed Wengryn | Secretary | March 22, 2024 | Nonpartisan |
| New Mexico Department of Agriculture | Jeff Witte | Secretary | May 2011 | Nonpartisan |
| New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets | Richard A. Ball | Commissioner | January 9, 2014 | Nonpartisan |
| North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services | Steve Troxler | Commissioner | February 8, 2005 | Republican Party |
| North Dakota Department of Agriculture | Doug Goehring | Commissioner | 2009 | Republican Party |
| Ohio Department of Agriculture | Brian Baldridge | Director | January 31, 2023 | Nonpartisan |
| Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry | Blayne Arthur | Secretary | December 2018 | Nonpartisan |
| Oregon Department of Agriculture | Lisa Charpilloz Hanson | Director | December 1, 2023 | Nonpartisan |
| Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture | Russell Redding | Secretary | January 20, 2015 | Nonpartisan |
| Rhode Island Department of Agriculture | Kenneth Ayars | Commissioner | 1998 | Nonpartisan |
| South Carolina Department of Agriculture | Hugh Weathers | Commissioner | September 14, 2004 | Republican Party |
| South Dakota Department of Agriculture | Hunter Roberts | Secretary | April 19, 2021 | Nonpartisan |
| Tennessee Department of Agriculture | Dr. Charlie Hatcher | Commissioner | January 19, 2021 | Nonpartisan |
| Texas Department of Agriculture | Sid Miller | Commissioner | 2015 | Republican Party |
| Utah Department of Agriculture and Food | Craig Buttars | Commissioner | January 5, 2021 | Nonpartisan |
| Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food and Markets | Anson Tebbetts | Secretary | January 5, 2017 | Nonpartisan |
| Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services | Joseph W. Guthrie | Commissioner | January 15, 2022 | Nonpartisan |
| Washington State Department of Agriculture | Derek Sandison | Director | June 15, 2015 | Nonpartisan |
| West Virginia Department of Agriculture | Kent Leonhardt | Commissioner | January 16, 2017 | Republican Party |
| Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection | Randy Romanski | Secretary | September 28, 2021 | Nonpartisan |
| Wyoming Department of Agriculture | Doug Miyamoto | Director | March 15, 2015 | Nonpartisan |