The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of comme ...
. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of
agriculture minister
An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister ...
s in other governments.
The department includes several organizations. The 297,000 mi
2 (770,000 km
2) of national forests and grasslands are managed by the
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 United States National Forest, national forests and 20 United States Nationa ...
. The safety of food produced and sold in the United States is ensured by the
United States Food Safety and Inspection Service. The
Food Stamp Program works with the states to provide food to low-income people.
Secretary of Agriculture is a
Level I position in the Executive Schedule, thus earning a salary of
US$221,400, as of January 2021.
Since February 24, 2021, the current secretary is
Tom Vilsack, who had previously served as the 30th secretary of agriculture in the
Obama administration.
List of secretaries of agriculture
When the Department of Agriculture was established in 1862, its executive was a non-Cabinet position called the commissioner of agriculture. The commissioners of agriculture were:
The position of secretary of agriculture was created when the department was elevated to Cabinet status in 1889. The following is a list of secretaries of agriculture, since the creation of the office in 1889.
; Parties
(14)
(18)
Status
Line of succession
The line of succession for the secretary of agriculture is as follows:
#
Deputy Secretary of Agriculture
#
#Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Administration
#
#
Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education, and Economics
#
Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food Safety
#
Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment
#
Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development
The Under Secretary for Rural Development (USDA(RD)) is a high-ranking official in the United States Department of Agriculture and principal advisor to the United States Secretary of Agriculture responsible for oversight of the department's rural ...
#
#General Counsel of the Department of Agriculture
#Chief of Staff, Office of the Secretary
#State Executive Directors of the
Farm Service Agency (in order of seniority by length of unbroken tenure) for the States of:
#*
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
#*
Iowa
Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...
#*
Kansas
Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...
#Regional Administrators of the
Food and Nutrition Service (in order of seniority by length of unbroken tenure) for the:
#*Mountain Plains Regional Office (
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
,
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...
)
#*Midwest Regional Office (
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...
)
#*Western Regional Office (
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
)
#Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Agriculture
#Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Civil Rights
#Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Congressional Relations
References
External links
*
, -
{{US Presidential Line of Succession
Agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...
Secretary
A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a ...
Agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...
USA
1889 establishments in the United States