Jeff Aiken, Deputy Commissioner

Jeff Aiken serves as deputy to Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher and oversees day-to-day operations for the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. Aiken works with staff to support programs and services and collaborate on policy development.

Aiken previously served as Tennessee Farm Bureau President for six years and was only the eighth president in the organization’s 100-year history. Under his leadership at Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation, the membership grew to an all-time high of more than 680,000 members, the largest in the nation. His dedication to agriculture has strengthened farm and rural communities across Tennessee.

A third-generation beef cattle, hay, corn and tobacco farmer from Washington County, Aiken farms with his wife, Carol, his brothers, nephew, and niece. Together they manage 600 head of beef cattle and produce corn, tobacco, and straw on 900 acres in Washington and Greene Counties.

Aiken is a steadfast supporter of the youth organizations FFA and 4-H, and he’s served on boards for the Tennessee FFA Foundation, Tennessee State Fair Commission, Governor’s Rural Task Force, and Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He and Carol reside in Telford where they are longtime members of the Oakland Cumberland Presbyterian Church.