BATON ROUGE — Agriculture and forestry are big businesses in Louisiana, said Mike Strain, who takes the reins as commissioner of the department Jan. 14, so the office should be run like a business — one that focuses on its customers.
Strain was to face incumbent Commissioner Bob Odom in a Nov. 17 runoff. But Odom, who was first elected in 1979, opted to retire instead of completing a race he might have lost.
Strain is wasting no time getting familiar with the post.
"We're going to take a total look at the department," he said, which includes the staff and every board and commission member appointed by the commissioner to regulate agriculture and forestry.
"We'll look for efficiency" in every division, Strain said, and "redirect the department on a core mission," which he said is providing service to the industries the department regulates.