Appointed June 2019
Patrice Bailey was appointed to the position of Assistant Commissioner in June 2019. Bailey oversees Outreach, Agricultural Marketing and Development, Dairy and Meat Inspection, and Food and Feed Safety for the MDA. Bailey, a native of Harlem, New York, holds a B.S. in Agriculture Education from Prairie View A&M University (Texas) and has a Master’s Degree in Agriculture from Iowa State University. He has served the Twin Cities in several positions, with his first position at the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resources Sciences (CFANS). Bailey in previous positions focused on bridging gaps within underrepresented communities of color to various available resources and advocating for them legislatively at the State Capitol. Bailey was instrumental in creating the Emerging Farmers Working Group (EFWG) and the Emerging Farmer Office (EFO) which is the first office in the nation that has an office dedicated to helping Emerging Farmers.
