The department is supervised and directed by the 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.
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.
[1][2][3] The department is under the direction and supervision of a Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services, who is appointed by the Governor of Virginia.