Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles was elected Secretary-Treasurer of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) today on the last day of its annual meeting.
“I’m honored to be selected by my peers among the commissioners, secretaries, and directors of the state departments of agriculture,” Commissioner Quarles said. “As Congress works on a new farm bill, NASDA will be heavily involved in that process, so it’s important for Kentucky to have a seat at the table. I’m pleased to be in a position to make sure that Kentucky’s interests are represented during farm bill talks and on other issues of importance to American agriculture.”
Commissioner Quarles is the first Kentucky agriculture commissioner to hold office in NASDA since Billy Ray Smith, who served as president of the national organization in 2001-2002.
Commissioner Quarles was elected Kentucky’s agriculture commissioner in November 2015 and assumed office the following January. At 33, he is the youngest statewide elected official in the United States. Commissioner Quarles’ family has lived and farmed in central Kentucky for more than 200 years. He served as a state representative for five years prior to his election as agriculture commissioner.
NASDA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit association that represents the elected and appointed commissioners, secretaries, and directors of the departments of agriculture in all 50 states and four U.S. territories. To learn more about NASDA, visit
www.nasda.org.