Elected and Appointed Government Officials 2017

Mississippi has had only three Commissioners of Agriculture in the last 50 years.  And it’s highly likely that Cindy Hyde-Smith will be there for many years to come.

A cattle farmer from Brookhaven, she served in the state Senate for three terms including two of them as the Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman before being elected to her current post in 2011.  She’s passionate and articulate about issues affecting Mississippi’s farm community and has advocated heavily for the U.S. farm-raised catfish industry and food safety issues.

She has been widely recognized for her efforts.  From receiving the Distinguished Service Award from the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation to being named as Co-chairman for the Agriculture Policy Advisory Council for President Donald Trump, she is someone who’s nationally known for her policy work.  She has also served as President of the Southern Association of State Departments of Agriculture, which protects and promotes regional agriculture.

In 2017, she was an Honoree for Women in Leadership as recognized by the Governing Institute.  This highlights outstanding female political leaders from over 100,000 women in office nationwide.