Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture


The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is a cabinet-level agency in Pennsylvania. The department's purpose is to support a sustainable and safe supply of food and agricultural products; be good stewards of the land and natural resources; promote the viability of farms; protect consumers; and safeguard the health of people, plants, animals and the environment.
The department is under the direction and supervision of the Secretary of Agriculture, who is appointed by the Governor of Pennsylvania with the approval of the Pennsylvania Senate. The current Secretary of Agriculture, Russell Redding, was appointed by Governor Tom Wolf in January 2015 and confirmed in May 2015.

Secretaries of Agriculture

The department is under the direction and supervision of the secretary of Agriculture, who is appointed by the governor of Pennsylvania. The secretary is assisted in managing the department by an executive deputy secretary, two deputy secretaries and a special deputy secretary. The department is subdivided into program bureaus, each headed by a bureau director. Bureaus are further subdivided into divisions.