Indiana State Department of Agriculture
Director
Website: https://www.in.gov/isda/ Social Media:
About:
Don Lamb is the Director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, appointed by Governor Eric Holcomb on March 1, 2023. He also serves as the Director of Agribusiness Development for the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, reports directly to Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch, who serves as Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development and serves on Governor Holcomb’s cabinet.
Don is a second-generation farmer for Lamb Farms in Boone County where, alongside his father, brother, and nephews, they produce corn, popcorn, seed soybeans and seed wheat. They also own two other enterprises including AgRecycle which is a composting business and Lamb Farms Agronomy which provides neighboring farmers with agronomy products and services. Don’s farm responsibilities include crop planning and rotations, input purchasing, agriculture advocacy and field operations.
Don has been involved in many community and agricultural activities and organizations. He currently is a member of the Advisory Council for the Indiana Agricultural Law Foundation. Previously Don served as Boone County Council’s Vice President, Western Boone School Board member, a member of the Purdue Dean of Agriculture Advisory Council, policy committee member of the Boone Co. Farm Bureau, and served on the Recycling and Market Development Board for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
Don was named the Outstanding Young Farmer of Boone County in 1996 and was named the Agricultural Professional of the Year in 2014 by the Boone County Chamber of Commerce.
Don is a 1989 graduate of Purdue University with a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics. While at Purdue he was a member of Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity. Don is a member of class 8 of the Indiana Agriculture Leadership Program (ALP), and he credits the ALP program for instilling a desire to lead the agriculture industry forward.
In 2012 Don’s family farm started Agristewards, a nonprofit which teaches farming practices and subsistence farmers in Africa, Asia, the Caribbeans and Central America.
Don and his wife Jodie are long-time members of New Hope Christian Church. They have four daughters and one granddaughter. The family loves to do agricultural mission work where Don has traveled to Uganda, Kenya, Jamaica, and multiple times to Panama, Costa Rica and Haiti.
Don’s main priorities are leading ISDA’s 5 divisions, which include, agricultural advocacy, economic development, youth development and environmental stewardship.
