The Commissioner is the head of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and is a member of the Council of State. The Board of Agriculture was created by the General Assembly in 1877, and the Commissioner was appointed by this board until 1900, when the Commissioner was then elected by the people. Per the current State Constitution, the Commissioner of Agriculture is part of the Council of State.

The Commissioner is in charge of the 1,400+ employees and 24 divisions that make up the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Their primary goal is "maintaining and enhancing the ability of agriculture to produce an adequate supply of food and fiber in North Carolina," as well as enforcing regulatory programs.

The twenty-four (24) divisions with the Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services are:

- Agrigultural Statistics Division
- Agronomic Services Division
- Budget and Finance Division
- Emergency Programs Division
- Environmental Programs Division
- Farmland Preservation Division
- Food Distribution Division
- Food and Drug Protection Division
- Human Resources Office
- Internal Audit Division
- Marketing Division
- Meat and Poultry Inspection Division
- NC Agricultural Finance Authority
- NC Forest Service
- NC State Fair Division
- Plant Industry Division
- Property and Construction Division
- Public Affairs Division
- Research Stations Division
- Office of Small Farms
- Soil & Water Conservation Division
- Standards Division
- Structural Pest Control and Pesticides Division
- Veterinary Division

The Mission of the Department of Agriculture is to provide services that promote and improve agriculture, agribusiness and forests; protect consumers and businesses; and conserve farmland and natural resources for the prosperity of all North Carolinians.