Dr. Jon Hagler

As Missouri’s twenty-first Director of Agriculture, Dr. Jon Hagler was appointed by Missouri Governor Jeremiah W. (Jay) Nixon and confirmed by the State Senate on January 29, 2009.

A lifelong horseman, Dr. Hagler was raised on a horse farm in Dent County and continues to operate a small horse operation near St. James, where he trains and sells Missouri Fox Trotters - the state horse.

Prior to becoming the Director of Agriculture, Dr. Hagler served as Gov. Nixon’s principal agricultural and environmental policy adviser and was instrumental in developing the Governor’s agricultural and environmental policies. He traveled over 60,000 miles meeting with farmers and farm families in every corner of Missouri to learn about their operations and assess their needs.

Dr. Hagler previously worked with the University of Missouri-Rolla (now, Missouri University of Science & Technology) and the California State Polytechnic University - Pomona. In those positions, he focused on corporate research and development, governmental affairs and international outreach. Dr. Hagler also served as the Chief of Staff to Missouri’s Speaker of the House and to the Speaker Pro Tem. In addition, he was a research analyst in the Missouri Senate.

While serving as a staffer in the state legislature, Dr. Hagler worked on many key agricultural legislative initiatives including the grain dealer law, farm machinery lemon law, the fence law, the southern dairy compact, House Bill 888 and farmland preservation.

A summa cum laude graduate of Truman State University (formerly Northeast Missouri State University) in Kirksville, Mo., Dr. Hagler holds a master’s degree in political science from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a doctorate in political science from Washington University in St. Louis.