Pate to seek re-election as state ag commissioner
Published 8:57 am Wednesday, May 26, 2021
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Commissioner Rick Pate announced this week that he will seek re-election as the GOP
nominee for Commissioner of Agriculture & Industries in 2022.
Commissioner Pate is currently serving his first term as Commissioner of Agriculture & Industries.
During his term as Commissioner, the Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries has implemented
the statewide branding program Sweet Grown Alabama, increased funding for the Alabama Farm to
School Program, and successfully administered Alabama’s first industrial hemp program. During the
COVID-19 pandemic, Commissioner Pate fought to keep agriculture listed as critical infrastructure,
delivered essential personal protective equipment to processing facilities across the state and kept the
Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries functioning throughout the pandemic.
“It has been an absolute honor to serve as your Commissioner of Agriculture & Industries,” said
Commissioner Pate. “In my first term we accomplished so much, but more work is to be done. This
includes keeping our food supply safe, abundant, and sustainable while helping our farmers and rural
communities prosper. The agriculture stakeholders have been wonderful partners with me over the past
few years.”
Commissioner Rick Pate was elected as the Commissioner of Agriculture & Industries in 2018.
Previously, he served as Mayor of Lowndesboro for 14 years. He founded Pate Landscape Co., Inc. and
spent 38 years running the company. In 2020, Commissioner Pate was elected as a RNC delegate and one
of the nine Alabama Electoral College Electors for former President Donald J. Trump. He currently
serves as Chairman of the Lowndes County Republican Party and on the Alabama Republican Executive
Committee.
Commissioner Pate resides in Lowndesboro, Ala. and is a member of the Lowndesboro Baptist Church.
He and his wife, Julie, have been married for 33 years and have two adult sons, Richard and James.