United States Secretary of Agriculture

Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox official post The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments.

The department includes several organizations. The 297,000 mi² (770,000 km²) of national forests and grasslands are managed by the United States Forest Service.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The safety of food produced and sold in the United States is ensured by the United States Food Safety and Inspection Service.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Food Stamp Program works with the states to provide food to low-income people.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Secretary of Agriculture is a Level I position in the Executive Schedule,<ref>Template:UnitedStatesCode</ref> thus earning a salary of US$221,400, as of January 2021.<ref name="Salary">Template:Cite web</ref>

Since February 13, 2025, the current secretary is Brooke Rollins.

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:<ref>Template:Cite web Alt URL</ref>

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United States commissioners of agriculture

No.	Portrait	Name	State of residence	Took office	Left office	President(s)
1	Newton seated	Template:Sortname	Pennsylvania	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1861–1865)
						rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1865–1869)
2	File:Horace Capron.jpg	Template:Sortname	Illinois	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
						rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1869–1877)
3	File:Frederick Watts.jpg	Template:Sortname	Pennsylvania	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
4	File:William G. LeDuc.jpg	Template:Sortname	Minnesota	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1877–1881)
5	File:George B. Loring - Brady-Handy.jpg	Template:Sortname	Massachusetts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1881)
						style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1881–1885)
6	File:NJColman.jpg	Template:Sortname	Missouri	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1885–1889)

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Parties

Template:Legend2 (14) Template:Legend2 (19)

Status

No.	Portrait	Name	State of residence	Took office	Left office	President(s)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:NJColman.jpg	Template:Sortname	Missouri	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1885–1889)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Jeremiah McLain Rusk - Brady-Handy.jpg	Template:Sortname	Wisconsin	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1889–1893)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:JSMorton.jpg	Template:Sortname	Nebraska	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1893–1897)
rowspan=3 style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:James Wilson (Secretary of Agriculture 1897-1913) 2003 902 275 f1881m24x.tiff	Template:Sortname	Iowa	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1897–1901)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |						Template:Sortname (1901–1909)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |						Template:Sortname (1909–1913)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:David F. Houston by Lewis Hine (cropped).jpg	Template:Sortname	Missouri	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1913–1921)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:E.T. Meredith, ggbain.16011u.jpg	Template:Sortname	Iowa	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:H. C. Wallace (retouched).jpg	Template:Sortname	Iowa	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1921–1923)
rowspan=3 style="background: Template:Party color;" |						Template:Sortname (1923–1929)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Howard Mason Gore.jpg	Template:Sortname	West Virginia	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:W.M. Jardine.jpg	Template:Sortname	Kansas	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Arthur M. Hyde, 10th Secretary of Agriculture, March 1929 - March 1933. - Flickr - USDAgov.jpg	Template:Sortname	Missouri	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1929–1933)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:33 Henry Wallace 3x4.jpg	Template:Sortname	Iowa	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1933–1945)
rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Claude R. Wickard, 12th Secretary of Agriculture, September 1940 - June 1945. - Flickr - USDAgov.jpg	Template:Sortname	Indiana	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
rowspan=3 style="background: Template:Party color;" |						Template:Sortname (1945–1953)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Clinton P. Anderson, 13th Secretary of Agriculture, June 1945 - May 1948. - Flickr - USDAgov.jpg	Template:Sortname	New Mexico	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Charles F. Brannan.jpg	Template:Sortname	Colorado	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Ezra Taft Benson - USDA portrait.gif	Template:Sortname	Utah	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1953–1961)
rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Orville L. Freeman, Secretary of Agriculture (1961-1969).jpg	Template:Sortname	Minnesota	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1961–1963)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |						Template:Sortname (1963–1969)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Clifford Morris Hardin - USDA portrait.png	Template:Sortname	Nebraska	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1969–1974)
rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Earl Lauer Butz - USDA portrait.png	Template:Sortname	Indiana	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |						Template:Sortname (1974–1977)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:John Albert Knebel - USDA portrait.png	Template:Sortname	Oklahoma	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Robert Bergland - USDA portrait.jpg	Template:Sortname	Minnesota	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1977–1981)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:John Block.jpg	Template:Sortname	Illinois	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1981–1989)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Richard E. Lyng, 22nd Secretary of Agriculture, March 1986 - January 1989. - Flickr - USDAgov.jpg	Template:Sortname	California	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Clayton Yeutter, 23rd Secretary of Agriculture, February 1989 - March 1991..jpg	Template:Sortname	Nebraska	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1989–1993)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Edward R. Madigan (cropped).jpg	Template:Sortname	Illinois	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Mike Espy.jpg	Template:Sortname	Mississippi	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	rowspan=3 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1993–2001)
Template:Color	File:Rominger Official USDA Portrait.jpg	Template:Sortname Template:Small	California	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Dan Glickman, 26th Secretary of Agriculture, January 1995 - 2001. - Flickr - USDAgov.jpg	Template:Sortname	Kansas	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Ann Veneman.jpg	Template:Sortname	California	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	rowspan=4 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (2001–2009)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Mike Johanns.jpg	Template:Sortname	Nebraska	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
Template:Color	File:Charles F. Conner, official USDA photo portrait.jpg	Template:Sortname Template:Small	Indiana	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Ed Schafer -- February 2008.jpg	Template:Sortname	North Dakota	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Tom Vilsack, official USDA photo portrait.jpg	Template:Sortname	Iowa	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (2009–2017)
Template:Color	File:Michael T. Scuse official portrait.JPG	Template:Sortname Template:Small	Delaware	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
Template:Color	File:Michael Young 20170216-DM-RBN-7992 (32557392300).jpg	Template:Sortname Template:Small	Washington D.C.	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (2017–2021)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Secretary Sonny Perdue official photo.jpg	Template:Sortname	Georgia	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
Template:Color	File:Kevin Shea US Dept of Agriculture.jpg	Template:Sortname Template:Small	Maryland	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (2021–2025)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:20210427-OSEC-TEW-001 Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack (51148817903).jpg	Template:Sortname	Iowa	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
Template:Color	File:Gary-washington.jpg	Template:Sortname Template:Small	Washington D.C.	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (2025–present)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	Brooke Rollins Brooke Rollins	Template:Sortname	Texas	Template:Dts	present

Line of succession

The line of succession for the secretary of agriculture is as follows:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

1. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture
2. Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agriculture Services (this position no longer exists)
3. Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Administration
4. Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services
5. Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education, and Economics
6. Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food Safety
7. Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment
8. Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development
9. Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs
10. General Counsel of the Department of Agriculture
11. Chief of Staff, Office of the Secretary
12. State Executive Directors of the Farm Service Agency (in order of seniority by length of unbroken tenure) for the States of:
    • California
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
13. Regional Administrators of the Food and Nutrition Service (in order of seniority by length of unbroken tenure) for the:
    • Mountain Plains Regional Office (Denver, Colorado)
    • Midwest Regional Office (Chicago, Illinois)
    • Western Regional Office (San Francisco, California)
14. Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Agriculture
15. Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Civil Rights
16. Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Congressional Relations

External links

• Template:Official website

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