Minnesota Agencies

Assists and promotes the agricultural industries in Minnesota; assists agricultural cooperatives, investigates market conditions, enforces laws designed to protect public health and to prevent fraud and deception in the manufacture and distribution of food and other items; collects agricultural statistics (in cooperation with federal government); inspects agricultural products; conducts programs for insect and plant disease control and for weed control.

The Minnesota State Dairy Commission, a forerunner for the Department of Agriculture, was created in 1885 for the limited purpose of prohibiting the sale of adulterated milk and the sale of oleomargarine (Laws of Minnesota 1885, chapter 149, section 7). The Commission started with one department head, one assistant, and one clerk who doubled as a chemist. The Commission's budget was $6,000.

In 1899, the Legislature created the position of Dairy and Food Commissioner, charging the commissioner with enforcing laws related to the production, manufacture, and sale of dairy products, and food prepared from their imitations and substitutes (Laws of Minn. 1899, chap. 295). This law was amended in 1903 (Laws of Minn. 1903, chap. 155). The Department of Dairy and Food, under control of the commissioner, was established in 1925 (Laws of Minn. 1925, chap. 426).

Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture was established in 1919 (Laws of Minn. 1919, chap. 444). Then in 1929, the Legislature consolidated the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Dairy and Food into one department: The Department of Agriculture and Dairy and Food (Laws of Minn. 1929, chap. 387).

In 1961, the Legislature changed the department's name to the Department of Agriculture (Laws of Minn. 1961, chap. 113).

Commissioner, appointed by the governor:

N.J. Holmberg, 1919-1931
Rollef A. Trovatten, 1931-1950
Myron W. Clark, 1950-1955
Byron Allen, 1955-1961
Duane A. Wilson, 1961-1964
Russell G. Schwandt, 1964-1969
Robert W. Carlson, 1969-1971
John Wefald, 1971-1977
William Walker, 1977-1978
Mark Seetin, 1978-1982
Jim Nichols, 1982-1990
Elton Redalen, 1990-1995
Gene Hugoson, 1995-2011
Dave Frederickson, 2011-2019
Thom Petersen, 2019-