Tennessee Department of Agriculture

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture is a Cabinet-level agency in the government of Tennessee. Founded in 1854, it is the oldest state agency in Tennessee. The present Commissioner, Dr. Charlie Hatcher, is the 38th incumbent.^[1]

Tennessee Department of Agriculture

Agency overview
Formed	1854
Headquarters	Ellington Agricultural Center 420 Hogan Rd. Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Agency executive	Dr. Charlie Hatcher, Commissioner
Website	www.tn.gov/agriculture

History

Creation of the Bureau of Agriculture

The agency was first established in 1854, by the Tennessee General Assembly as the Bureau of Agriculture. It was the first agency created in Tennessee. It was organized primarily to promote agriculture through fairs and livestock expositions.^[2] The original agency had a staff of nine, including the Governor and eight others who met twice a year to conduct state business. When Tennessee seceded from the Union in 1861, the Bureau was suspended.^[2]

Reorganization after the Civil War

In 1871, the Bureau was re-organized and re-constituted.^[2] It was structured as it had been before the war, and it was still composed of the Governor and eight others.

In 1875, the General Assembly passed an act creating the Bureau of Agriculture, Statistics, and Mines.^[2] This new agency had the same responsibilities as the former, but also had oversight of state statistical collection and regulation of mines. The head of agency was then known as the Commissioner of Agriculture, Statistics, and Mines.^[2]

For a brief time in the late nineteenth century, the agency was also responsible for immigration management in the state.

Modern Cabinet-level department

In 1923, the name of the agency was officially changed to the "Department of Agriculture," and the agency's oversight of statistics and mines was removed to other state departments.^[2] The Commissioner's title was restored to "Commissioner of Agriculture," and he was recognized, as the director of the State's oldest agency, as the Cabinet member with the greatest seniority.^[2]

In 1961, the commissioner and his department moved out of the State's downtown Nashville offices and into a new facility south of the city called the Elligton Agricultural Center. The facility is a working farm and named for Buford Ellington, the 40th Governor of Tennessee who also served as Commissioner of Agriculture in the late 1950s. The center sits on 200 acres, and the department's relocation there meant that Tennessee was the first State to locate its department of agriculture on a working farm.

Duties and responsibilities of the Commissioner

Tennessee Commissioner of Agriculture
Incumbent Dr. Charlie Hatcher since 12 January 2019
Formation	12 January 1854
Website	tn.gov/agriculture

The Commissioner is appointed by the Governor and serves at his pleasure. He directs the work of the Department of Agriculture. The Department is charged with promoting wise uses of Tennessee's agricultural and forest resources, developing economic opportunities for Tennesseans, and ensuring safe and dependable food and fiber for the State. The department also oversees food safety, pesticide use, and fuel quality and fairness for Tennessean consumers.

The Commissioner organizes the department into five divisions:

• Division of Administration
• Division of Forestry
• Division of Consumer and Industry Services
• Division of Animal Health
• Division of Business Development

List of commissioners[3]

No.	Name	County	Took office	Left office	Governor(s)
1	Joseph Buckner Killebrew	Montgomery	1872	1881		John C. Brown James D. Porter Albert S. Marks
2	A. W. Hawkins	Carroll	1881	1883		Alvin Hawkins
3	A. J. McWhirter	Davidson	1883	1887		William B. Bate
4	R. M. Hord	Rutherford	1887	1891		Robert Love Taylor
5	D. Godwin	Shelby	1891	1893		John P. Buchanan
6	T. P. Allison	Williamson	1893	1897		Peter Turney
7	John T. Essary	Hamblen	1897	1899		Robert Love Taylor
8	Thomas H. Paine	Hardin	1899	1903		Benton McMillin