United States Secretary of Agriculture


The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The secretary is former Georgia governor Sonny Perdue. Perdue took office on April 25, 2017 after being confirmed by the U.S. Senate by an 87–11 vote. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments.
The department includes several organizations. The 297,000 mi2 of national forests and grasslands are managed by the United States Forest Service. 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. Advice for farmers and gardeners is provided by the United States Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service.

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.
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Living former secretaries of agriculture

As of, there are eight living former secretaries of agriculture, the oldest being John R. Block. The most recent secretary of agriculture to die was Robert Bergland, on December 9, 2018. The most recently serving secretary to die was Edward Rell Madigan on December 7, 1994.
NameTermBirth date
John A. Knebel1976–1977
John R. Block1981–1986
Mike Espy1993–1994
Dan Glickman1995–2001
Ann Veneman2001–2005
Mike Johanns2005–2007
Ed Schafer2008–2009
Tom Vilsack2009–2017

Line of succession

The line of succession for the secretary of agriculture is as follows:
  1. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture
  2. Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agriculture Services
  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 for the States of:
  13. #California
  14. #Iowa
  15. #Kansas
  16. Regional Administrators of the Food and Nutrition Service for the:
  17. #Mountain Plains Regional Office
  18. #Midwest Regional Office
  19. #Western Regional Office
  20. Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Agriculture
  21. Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Civil Rights
  22. Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Congressional Relations