advocacy, advocacy education

Agriculture - Divisions, Departments, Executive Orders, Oh My!

By Rachel Lord, Advocacy and Policy Director, AFPC

Just before the holidays, we received a call from the Governor’s office giving us a heads up that he would be announcing an upcoming Executive Order forming a Department of Agriculture. This has been a priority called out in several Statewide reports on Alaska’s food security. As noted by Alaska Farm Bureau Board President Scott Mugrage, Alaska used to have a territorial department of agriculture. Currently, agriculture is a division within the Department of Natural Resources which manages all of Alaska’s surface and subsurface resources except fish and game. 

Divisions, departments, executive orders – what does it all mean and how do you feel about it? These are questions that we’ve been getting and I’m excited to take a few minutes to share what we know and what the process looks like.

Y’all know I can get deep into the weeds, but we’ll try to stay at a high level here with some State of Alaska 101!

Division vs. Department – what’s the difference? 

The state government is divided into large Departments. Alaska currently has fifteen departments. Each department has a Commissioner, who leads the department directly under the Governor. Nearly all Commissioners are appointed by the Governor and then confirmed by the Legislature. 

NERDY SIDENOTE:

There are two exceptions to that process. The Commissioner of Fish & Game is appointed by the Governor from a list from the Boards of Fish and Game and then they need to be confirmed by the Legislature. The Commissioner of Education and Early Development is appointed by the Board of Education and then approved by the Governor. They are not subject to legislative confirmation. 

State of Alaska Organizational Chart from the Handbook on Alaska State Government, State of Alaska Legislative Affairs Agency, May 2022.

Department Commissioners submit budgets directly to the Governor for consideration. These department budgets are broken down into different divisions. Of interest here is the existing Department of Natural Resources, where the Division of Agriculture currently lives, and the proposal for pulling the division out of ADNR and moving to its own Department of Agriculture (which would bring the state total to sixteen – the most departments we’ve ever had has been fifteen, according to the Citizen’s Guide to the Alaska Constitution). 

NERDY SIDENOTE:

The Alaska Constitution limits the executive branch to no more than twenty principal departments (Article III, Section 22).

A division, as a subunit of a department, has to work within the structure of its department and under the priorities of its commissioner. Divisions are within departments – they all fall under the leadership of the commissioner. 

Within ADNR there are currently the following divisions:

  • Agriculture 
  • Forestry
  • Geological & Geophysical Surveys
  • Mining, Land, and Water
  • Oil & Gas
  • Parks & Outdoor Recreation
  • Support Services
  • Commissioner’s Office (which includes the Mental Health Trust Land Office)

Why a Department instead of a Division? 

  • Visibility: A department gives an issue greater visibility and priority in state government, providing more opportunity to influence the development of the agricultural industry with the state administration
  • Resources: Departments are more likely to receive dedicated funding and staffing for their mission, with an ag-focused departmental budget request directly to the Governor and not directly competing with non-agricultural interests like oil and gas, boating, and other divisions shared within ADNR. 
  • Focus: A department’s sole focus ensures more strategic planning and leadership for a specific policy area.
  • Efficiency: A department consolidates functions, avoiding conflicts of interest or competition with unrelated priorities.

Alaska’s Governor Mike Dunleavy (Gavel Alaska, January 2025)

What is an Executive Order? 

Under the Alaska Constitution (Article III, Section 23) and state law (AS 24.08.210), the Governor is authorized to reorganize the executive branch. Our Constitution mandates that if the law is required to enable the reorganization, it must be put forward to the Legislature in an Executive Order (EO). An EO reorganizing government is a directive from the governor to restructure state agencies, offices, or departments to improve efficiency, reduce costs, or better align services with public needs. These orders can merge, transfer, or eliminate agencies, as well as redefine roles and responsibilities within the state government. 

The Legislature has sixty days of a regular legislative session to vote “no” on a reorganization EO. If they do nothing, the EO goes into effect on the date designated by the Governor. A legislative veto would require 31 legislators in a joint session to disapprove an executive reorganization.

Back in 2022, Governor Dunleavy issued a reorganization EO to split the Department of Health and Social Services into two – the Department of Health and the Department of Family and Community Services. For more background: Seeking efficiency, Alaska breaks its health agency into two new departments (Alaska Beacon, July 1, 2022). 

New EOs will be posted here.

Key Takeaways & Next Steps

The reestablishment of an Alaska Department of Agriculture is one of AFPC’s policy priorities. As with any issue, the details matter and we won’t see those details until the Governor releases the Executive Order. 

We know that there will be a lot of questions about the financial impact of a new department. The Governor typically releases an amended budget sometime in mid-February; this should provide more information on the projected cost of a new department. Assuming the EO is presented to the Legislature on January 21, they will have 60 days – until the third week of March – to decide on taking action. 

The state of Alaska has and continues to help grow successful industries like oil, gas, mining, tourism, and fisheries through substantial policies and budget support. It is high time we help grow Alaska’s ag industry similarly. We believe success will depend on staffing, funding, collaboration, and transparency. The State of Alaska can move in that direction, and with a Department of Agriculture, can play a critical role in advancing food security and development for all Alaskans. We’re looking forward to learning more and tracking this as it moves to the Legislature! 

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