The
Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture is an elected state executive position in the Kentucky state government. The commissioner is responsible for expanding agricultural markets, increasing rural economic development, and promoting the Kentucky Proud program.
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Commissioners are elected to a four-year term, and are limited to serving two terms.
Current officeholder
The current officeholder is James Comer, Jr. (R). He has served since 2012.
Authority
The office of Agriculture Commissioner is established in the Executive Department Article of the Kentucky Constitution.
Executive Department Article, Section 91:
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| A Treasurer, Auditor of Public Accounts, Commissioner of Agriculture, Labor and Statistics, Secretary of State, and Attorney-General, shall be elected by the qualified voters of the State at the same time the Governor and Lieutenant Governor are elected, for the term of four years...
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Qualifications
Executive Department Article, Section 91 of the Kentucky Constitution establishes the qualifications of the office:
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| ...each of whom shall be at least thirty years of age at the time of his election, and shall have been a resident citizen of the State at least two years next before his election.
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- at least 30 years old at time of election
- resident of Kentucky for at least two years
Elections
Kentucky elects agriculture commissioners during gubernatorial election years. For Kentucky, 2003, 2007, 2011, and 2015 are all agriculture commissioner election years. Terms begin the first Monday in January following the election.
Term limits
The Kentucky Constitution limits the agriculture commissioner to two four-year terms.
Duties
The duties of the Commissioner of Agriculture are outlined in 246.070 of the Kentucky Revised Statutes:[2]
The Commissioner shall promote and encourage, as far as practicable, the organization of agricultural organizations and associations. He shall ascertain in detail the quality and quantity of land under cultivation; the kinds, amounts and value of the annual field crops; the annual production of orchards, gardens, and dairies; the kinds, value, and increase of livestock; the character and wages of labor employed in the cultivation of the soil; and the value of agricultural exports and imports.
Divisions
The Department of Agriculture is divided into four offices made up of a total of 13 divisions.
Office for Strategic Planning and Administration
- The Office for Strategic Planning and Administration includes the Division of Personnel and Budget and the Division of Information Technology.
| Contact Strategic Planning and Administration | |
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| Steve Kelly, Executive Director
Phone: 502-564-4696
Department Address: Capital Plaza Tower 500 Mero Street, 7th Floor Frankfort, Kentucky 40601
Fax: 502-564-2133
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Office for Consumer and Environmental Protection
- The Office of Consumer and Environmental Protection includes three divisions: Division of Environmental Services, Division of Food Distribution, and the Division of Regulation and Inspection.
| Contact Consumer and Environmental Protection | |
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| John C. Roberts Jr., Executive Director
Email: John.Robertsjr@ky.gov
Phone: 502-573-0282
Department Address: 107 Corporate Drive Frankfort, KY 40601
Fax: 502-573-0303
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Office of State Veterinarian
- The Office of State Veterinarian includes the Division of Animal Health and the Division of Producer Services.
| Contact State Veterinarian | |
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| Robert C. Stout, DVM
Phone:502-564-3956
Email: robert.stout@ky.gov
Department Address: 100 Fair Oaks, 2nd Floor Frankfort, KY 40601
Fax: 502-564-7852
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Office of Agricultural Marketing and Product Promotion
- The Office of Agricultural Marketing and Product Promotion includes six divisions:
- Division of Ag Education, Farm Safety & Farmland Preservation
- Division of Agriculture Marketing & Agribusiness Recruitment
- Division of Agritourism
- Division of Show & Fair Promotion
- Division of Value-Added Animal and Aquaculture Production
- Division of Value-Added Plant Production
| Contact Agricultural Marketing and Product Promotion | |
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| Mac Stone
Phone: 502-564-4983
Email: mac.stone@ky.gov
Department Address: 100 Fair Oaks, 5th Floor Frankfort, KY 40601
Fax: 502-564-0303
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Compensation
- See also: Compensation of state executive officers
In 2012, the Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture was paid an estimated $113,615 according to the Council of State Governments.
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a google news search for the term Kentucky + Agriculture + Commissioner
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
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Contact information
Commissioner of Agriculture
111 Corporate Drive
Frankfort, KY 40601
Phone: (502) 564-4696
Fax: (502) 573-0046
Open Records Mailing Address
Kentucky Department of Agriculture
Attn: Legal Counsel
500 Mero Street, Capital Plaza Tower, 7th Floor
Frankfort, KY 40601
ag.web@ky.gov
Fax: (502) 564-1168
See also
Elections
External links
References
