The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) is an
agency
Agency may refer to:
Organizations
* Institution, governmental or others
** Advertising agency or marketing agency, a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising for its clients
** Employment agency, a business that ...
of the
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
of
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
that is responsible for promoting the economic growth and development of Virginia's agricultural sector. It also provides environmental protection services and consumer protection programs.
The department is supervised and directed by the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The current Commissioner is Joseph W. Guthrie, who was appointed on January 15, 2022. He is Virginia's 18th Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Guthrie is a sixth generation Virginia farmer, who owned and operated a beef cattle and hay farm in Pulaski County on farmland that has been in his family since 1795. Since 2007, he served as a Senior Instructor at Virginia Tech and taught courses in business management, finance, communications, and leadership in the Agricultural Technology Program.
Prior to his appointment, he served the residents of Pulaski County on the Board of Supervisors since 2015, and was elected board chair in 2020 and 2021. He was also elected to a four-year term on the Pulaski County School Board in 2011. Guthrie has served as the president of Virginia Tech's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Association, president of Pulaski County Farm Bureau, and president of the Virginia Cattlemen's Association. He was appointed by USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to the National Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board and was appointed by former Governor Bob McDonnell to the Virginia Cattle Industry Board.
Organization
The department is under the direction and supervision of a Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services, who is appointed by the Governor of Virginia. The department is located within the Governor's Secretariat of Agriculture and Forestry, which is under the direction of the Governor's
Cabinet Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry.
*Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services
**Deputy Commissioner
***Animal and Food Industry Services Division
***Consumer Services Division
***Marketing and Development Division
***Commodity Services Division
See also
*
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, ...
References
External links
Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services homepage
Agriculture, Department of
State departments of agriculture of the United States
State environmental protection agencies of the United States
{{Virginia-stub