Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce
Encyclopedia
- The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce abbreviates to MDAC. For all other references see MDAC
The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce (also sometimes referred to as the MDAC) is a government department of Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, headquartered in Jackson
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
. MDAC regulates and promotes agricultural-related
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
es within Mississippi. The Department of Agriculture and Commerce was created by the Mississippi Legislature in 1906.
The Commissioner of MDAC is an elected office. The position is contested every four years at the same time as the gubernatorial election.
Commissioners of Agriculture and Commerce, 1906-Present
- Henry Edward Blakeslee, 1906-1916
- Peter Parley Garner, 1916-1928
- J.C. Holton, 1928-1940
- Silas Edward "Si" Corley, 1940-1968
- Jim Buck Ross, 1968-1996
- Lester Spell, 1996-Present
- Cindy Hyde-SmithCindy Hyde-SmithCindy Hyde-Smith is a Republican member of the Mississippi Senate, representing the 39th District since 2000. Senator Hyde-Smith has served as chair of the Senate Agriculture committee since 2004 and is a member of Appropriations, Constitution, Corrections, Elections, Forestry, Public Health and...
, taking office January 2012