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, 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.[2] 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.[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]
Departments
editReferences
edit- ^ "About NASDA".
- ^ a b c Louis Jacobson, Where Have All the Democratic Agriculture Commissioners Gone?, Governing (February 26, 2016).
- ^ "Chairperson's Office". hdoa.hawaii.gov. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
- ^ "OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR — News Release – Phyllis Shimabukuro-Geiser appointed as Board of Agriculture chairperson". governor.hawaii.gov. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
- ^ a b "Meet the Director". www.michigan.gov. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
- ^ a b "Commissioner's Office | Minnesota Department of Agriculture". www.mda.state.mn.us. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
- ^ a b "Gov. Gianforte Appoints Christy Clark Director of Agriculture". news.mt.gov. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
- ^ a b "Governor Sisolak Approves Appointment of Jennifer Ott as of Nevada Department of Agriculture". gov.nv.gov. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
- ^ "Office Of The Secretary". danr.sd.gov. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
- ^ Heemstra, Jody. "Operation of new South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources began today". DRGNews. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
- ^ a b "Charlie Hatcher, D.V.M." www.tn.gov. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
- ^ "Craig Buttars". Governor Spencer J. Cox. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
- ^ "UDAF Welcomes Craig Buttars as New Commissioner of Agriculture and Food | Utah Department of Agriculture and Food". Retrieved 2022-04-28.