SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Department of Agriculture & Food Commissioner Craig Buttars announced he will retire at the end of the 2025 Utah State Legislature.
The commissioner served four years in Gov. Cox's cabinet.
“I am profoundly grateful for the opportunity I have had to serve as the Commissioner of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food,” Buttars said in a statement. “My love for agriculture and Utah’s farmers and ranchers has only grown stronger as I have served my time in this role. I hope they feel that I have represented them well and have helped make a positive impact for agriculture and the State of Utah.”
A Cache County farmer, Buttars did shake up his own industry. He helped push for more water-wise practices for agriculture (while defending the crops they grow), oversaw an expanding medical cannabis program and created a new state-run program that pushed local food processing.
Commissioner Buttars' retirement announcement came on the same day that another member of Gov. Cox's cabinet announced her departure. Utah Dept. of Environmental Quality Executive Director Kim Shelley announced she's leaving office at the end of the month.
