Matt Lohr

Matt Lohr
Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture
Incumbent
In office
May 1, 2010 - Present
Years in position	3
Party	Non-partisan
Compensation
Base salary	$120,000
Elections and appointments
Appointed	March 16, 2010
Appointed by	Governor Bob McDonnell
Campaign $	$500,775
Term limits	N/A
Prior offices
Virginia House of Delegates District 26
2005 - April 30, 3010
Education
Bachelor's	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (1995)
Personal
Birthday	August 28, 1971
Place of birth	Harrisonburg, Virginia
Profession	Agriculture
Religion	Baptist
Websites
Office website

Matt Lohr is the 14th and current Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture. He was appointed to the position by Governor Bob McDonnell on March 26, 2010. Before his appointment, Lohr was a Republican member of the Virginia House of Delegates. He represented District 26 from 2005 until his resignation on April 30, 2010.

Biography

Growing up on a farm in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, Lohr has long been active in the agriculture industry. In the early 1990s he served as state president and national vice president of the FFA organization. Lohr and his family currently operate a 250 acre farm. He served on the Rockingham County School Board from 2002 to 2005 and was also on the Rockingham County Planning Commission prior to his election to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2005.

Education

• BS, Agricultural Education, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1995

Political career

Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture (May 1, 2010-Present)

Lohr was appointed commissioner on March 16, 2010 and he officially began his duties on May 1, 2010.

Virginia House of Delegates (2005-April 2010)

Lohr was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2005.

Committee assignments

Lohr was serving on the following committees when he resigned:

• Finance
  • Subcommittee #1
• Counties, Cities and Towns
  • Subcommittee #2
• Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee
  • Agriculture Subcommittee (Vice Chair)
  • Chesapeake Subcommittee

Sponsored legislation

• HB 1699 Biofuels; broadens Right to Farm Act to allow farmers to engage in small-scale production.
• HB 2054 Novelty cigarette lighters; prohibiting purchase, distribution, etc. to persons under age of 18.
• HB 2163 Midwifery; regulations governing practice thereof.

Issue positions

Lohr's official website listed his legislative priorities as, "low taxes, restrained spending and quality jobs," "better education for our children," "curbing illegal immigration," "keeping our community safe," "traditional family values," and "promoting agriculture."

His answers to the Virginia State Legislative Election 2005 National Political Awareness Test are available. When asked his priorities he listed the top three as:

• 1. Efficient state government. Make government more accountable and efficient. Prioritize spending on core projects without having to raise additional revenues
• 2. Education. Continue providing a world class education to students in Virginia. Additional funding would come from state surplus and prioritizing state spending. More opportunities for career and technical education.
• 3. Overhaul the broken Medicaid system. Medicaid continues to grow at alarming rates. A revamping of this program is needed to insure benefits and reduce waste.

Rockingham County School Board (2002-2005)

Prior to his election to the House, Lohr served on the Rockingham County School Board from 2002-2005.

Elections/Appointments

2010

Lohr was appointed as Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture by Governor Bob McDonnell on March 26, 2010.

2009

See also: Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2009

Delegate Lohr 2009 campaign announcement

In 2009, Lohr was re-elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. He defeated Gene Hart, Jr. in the General Election.

Virginia House of Delegates, District 26, General Election, 2009
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Matt Lohr Incumbent	73.1%	11,328
	Democratic	Gene Hart, Jr.	26.9%	4,170
Total Votes				15,498

Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for Lohr is available dating back to 2005. Based on available campaign finance records, Lohr raised a total of $500,775 during that time period. This information was last updated on May 8, 2013.

Matt Lohr's Campaign Contribution History
Year	Office	Result	Contributions
2009	VA House of Delegates		$110,405
2007	VA House of Delegates		$83,420
2005	VA House of Delegates		$306,950
Grand Total Raised			$500,775

2009

The top 5 donors to Lohr's 2009 campaign:

Virginia House of Delegates 2009 election - Campaign Contributions
Top contributors to Matt Lohr's campaign in 2009
Virginia Dental Assoc	$3,000
Virginia Assoc of Realtors	$2,500
Virginia Bankers Assoc	$2,500
Common Sense PAC	$2,405
Dominion	$2,000
Total Raised in 2009	$110,405

Recent news

Know more information about this profile? Submit a bio

This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term "Matt + Lohr + Virginia + Agriculture"

All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.

Matt Lohr News Feed

• Virginia agriculture chief named president of southern group - WCYB
• Purcellville's Catoctin Creek Distillery wins another award - Loudoun Times-Mirror
• VA Gov. McDonnell Salutes State Beverage With June Dairy Month Proclamation - PerishableNews (press release)

See also

• Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture
• Governor of Virginia
• Bob McDonnell

External links

Suggest a link

• Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
• Lohr's biography
• Project Vote Smart biographical profile
• Campaign Contributions:2009, 2007, 2005
• Virginia Public Access Project profile
• Richmond Sunlight profile

References

Political offices
Preceded by '	Virginia House of Delegates 2005-2010	Succeeded by '
Preceded by '	Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture 2010-present	Succeeded by NA