Lorraine Stuart Merrill of Stratham was sworn in as Commissioner of Agriculture, Markets & Food on December 6, 2007 for a five year term.

Merrill is co-owner with her husband John, son Nathan and daughter-in-law Judy of Stuart Farm, a 270-acre dairy enterprise with 240 milking cows and nearly 200 head of young cattle situated at the edge of the Great Bay Estuary. The herd consists of registered Holstein and Brown Swiss animals.

She has been active in the day-to-day operation of Stuart Farm in addition to her work as a writer for agricultural and general interest publications and involvement in many civic and professional activities at the local, state and national levels.

Following graduation from the University of New Hampshire in 1973, she returned to the family farm and also taught elementary school for seven years. Over the years Stuart Farm has been recognized for its leadership in conservation and environmental management and in 2003 the Merrills were honored by the American Farmland Trust as Stewards of the Land, the organization’s highest honor.

Among Lorraine Merrill’s list of achievements are service as chair of the USDA Farm Service Agency State Committee for eight years, trustee of the University System of New Hampshire for eight years, founding member of the New Hampshire Coalition for Sustaining Agriculture, director of the New England Dairy and Food Council and member of the New Hampshire Farm Viability Task Force. She has been involved in many other agricultural boards and committees and currently is a Food and Society Policy Fellow with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Thomas Jefferson Agricultural Institute. She has also served as a local school board member.

Merrill has been a regular contributor since 1983 to Hoard’s Dairyman, the leading dairy farmer trade magazine, producing features and a column entitled “The People Side” and holding the title of field editor. Her articles on agriculture, conservation, land use and many other subjects have appeared in newspapers, magazines, encyclopedias, books and on the web.

She has spoken frequently at conferences, seminars and training programs conducted by USDA, UNH, Cornell University, Texas A&M and EPA plus many consumer and environmental groups and the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning.

Merrill is the sixth person to hold the position of commissioner since the department’s establishment in 1913.

Office Overview:
The Office of Commissioner is the administrative hub of the Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food, providing oversight, financial control and support to the various divisions of the agency. The commissioner is charged under the statutes (RSA 425) with promoting and protecting agriculture, commerce, consumers and the environment of the state through an array of laws. In addition, the commissioner provides information, advocacy and education on various topics relating to production agriculture, the food system and rural life.

The commissioner of agriculture, markets and food by statute also serves on several boards and committees in state government, including the board of trustees of the University System of New Hampshire, the Current Use Board, the Council on Resources and Development, the Pesticide Control Board and the Milk Sanitation Board.

Read a brief History of New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food

Commissioner's Column
Each week Commissioner Lorraine Merrill sits down and writes a column that incorporates information and commentary about the many diverse aspects of production agriculture in New Hampshire, the food system, consumer interests and rural life. She enjoys feedback from readers on what she has written and she always welcomes ideas and interesting subjects that might be included in her column.

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