Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Commissioner
Website: https://www.maine.gov/dacf/ Social Media:
About:
Amanda Beal has served as Commissioner of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) since 2019. In this role, she oversees an agency responsible for promoting Maine’s agricultural economy, managing nearly 18 million acres of forestland, stewarding more than 700,000 acres of state parks and public lands, and administering science-based programs focused on conservation, land use planning, and natural resource management.
Prior to her appointment as Commissioner, Beal served as President and CEO of Maine Farmland Trust, where she worked to protect farmland, support farmers, and strengthen local food systems. She is a member of the Maine Climate Council and co-chairs its Natural and Working Lands Working Group. Beal is currently serving as the 2025–2026 President of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture and has previously served as Board President of the Northeast Association of State Departments of Agriculture and Food Export Northeast.
Beal holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Southern Maine and a Master of Science degree from Tufts University, where her studies focused on the intersection of natural resource policy and food security through the Agriculture, Food & Environment program. She grew up on her family’s commercial dairy farm in Litchfield, Maine, and now lives in Warren, where she and her husband own and operate a 35-acre farm.
