Minnesota / Agriculture Department

Agency file

Agriculture Department

Source file: Minnesota — State Employee Payroll / ingested Jun 18, 2026

The Agriculture Department supports agriculture — farming, food safety, livestock, and rural development programs.

In 2025, this agency had 611 employees with median total compensation of $80,497; the highest distinct record was $178,228.

Year: 2025
Total payroll: $44.2M
Employees: 611
Median total: $80,497
Highest record: $178,228

What the records show

Compensation analytics

These summaries compare pay within the agency before listing individual records.

Salary distribution

$262$144,327+

Hover a bar for its range; click to filter the list below.

How 2025 total compensation is spread across the 611 employees. Each bar is a pay range; taller bars mean more people earn in that range. The amber line marks the median ($80,497) — half earn less, half more. The far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Average pay composition

Base — $70,980 (98%)
Overtime — $268 (0%)
Other — $1,155 (2%)
Benefits — $0 (0%)

What an average paycheck here is made of — base salary versus overtime, other pay (bonuses, allowances), and benefits. A large overtime or other-pay share means take-home often exceeds base salary.

Pay percentiles

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$7,399

$55,828

$80,497

$97,734

$110,939

The pay ladder for this department. Someone at the 90th percentile earns $110,939 — more than 90% of the department; the 10th percentile earns $7,399. The shaded band is the middle half of employees (25th–75th percentile).

Largest job titles

Agricultural Technician

55 · $4,693

State Program Administrative Principal

40 · $92,505

Agricultural Advisor

39 · $83,785

Agricultural Consultant

36 · $97,736

State Program Administrative Senior

26 · $84,522

The most common job titles in this department by headcount, with the median total compensation for each. Click a title to see everyone who holds it.

Trend

Year over year

How this department's total payroll, headcount, and median pay changed across the 2 published years.

Year	Total payroll	Employees	Median pay
2024	$40.5M —	561 —	$78,246 —
2025	$44.2M ▲ 9.1%	611 ▲ 8.9%	$80,497 ▲ 2.9%

Record list

Employees

Page 2

Christine Mader

State Program Administrative Principal/Agriculture Department

2025 total comp

$92,421

Sub-department: Commodity Services Staff
Base pay: $91,421
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $1,000
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $92,421
Hire date: 2016-01-27
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 14
Union / bargaining unit: MN Assoc of Professional Empl
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: B04
Bargaining Unit Number: 214
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Christine Mader holds the role of State Program Administrative Principal at Agriculture Department within Commodity Services Staff. Hired in 2016, they have about 9 years of service as a full-time employee. In 2025, their total compensation was $92,421. They are represented by MN Assoc of Professional Empl.

Chelsey Penuel

Research Scientist 2/Agriculture Department

2025 total comp

$92,322

Sub-department: Pest Detection &MgmtUnitStaff
Base pay: $92,081
Overtime: $241
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $92,322
Hire date: 2022-03-02
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 14
Union / bargaining unit: MN Assoc of Professional Empl
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: B04
Bargaining Unit Number: 214
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Chelsey Penuel works as a Research Scientist 2 for Agriculture Department within Pest Detection &Mgmtunitstaff. They have served since 2022 (about 3 years) as a full-time employee. Chelsey earned $92,322 in 2025. Union affiliation: MN Assoc of Professional Empl.

Mallory Forseth

State Program Administrative Principal/Agriculture Department

2025 total comp

$92,103

Sub-department: Domestic Markets Staff
Base pay: $91,185
Overtime: $918
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $92,103
Hire date: 2021-11-10
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 14
Union / bargaining unit: MN Assoc of Professional Empl
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: B04
Bargaining Unit Number: 214
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

At Agriculture Department, Mallory Forseth serves as a State Program Administrative Principal within Domestic Markets Staff. Hired in 2021, they have about 4 years of service, working full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $92,103. They are represented by MN Assoc of Professional Empl.

Stuart Orlowski

Hydrologist 3/Agriculture Department

2025 total comp

$92,081

Sub-department: Incident Response Unit Staff
Base pay: $92,081
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $92,081
Hire date: 2015-03-09
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 16
Union / bargaining unit: MN Assoc of Professional Empl
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: B04
Bargaining Unit Number: 214
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

At Agriculture Department, Stuart Orlowski serves as a Hydrologist 3 within Incident Response Unit Staff. Hired in 2015, they have about 10 years of service, working full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $92,081. Their bargaining unit is MN Assoc of Professional Empl.

Courtney Swanson

Agricultural Advisor/Agriculture Department

2025 total comp

$91,980

Sub-department: Retail Food Safety B Staff
Base pay: $86,819
Overtime: $5,161
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $91,980
Hire date: 2016-10-05
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 10
Union / bargaining unit: MN Assoc of Professional Empl
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: B04
Bargaining Unit Number: 214
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Courtney Swanson works as a Agricultural Advisor for Agriculture Department within Retail Food Safety B Staff. They have served since 2016 (about 9 years) as a full-time employee. Courtney earned $91,980 in 2025. Union affiliation: MN Assoc of Professional Empl.

Anthony Adams

State Program Administrative Principal/Agriculture Department

2025 total comp

$91,817

Sub-department: Emerging Farmers Office Staff
Base pay: $91,817
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $91,817
Hire date: 2024-03-27
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 14
Union / bargaining unit: MN Assoc of Professional Empl
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: B04
Bargaining Unit Number: 214
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Anthony Adams works as a State Program Administrative Principal for Agriculture Department within Emerging Farmers Office Staff. They have served since 2024 (about a year) as a full-time employee. Anthony earned $91,817 in 2025. Union affiliation: MN Assoc of Professional Empl.

Dawn Bernau

Soil Scientist 2/Agriculture Department

2025 total comp

$91,379

Sub-department: Fertilizer Technical UnitStaff
Base pay: $91,379
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $91,379
Hire date: 2014-08-13
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 12
Union / bargaining unit: MN Assoc of Professional Empl
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: B04
Bargaining Unit Number: 214
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Dawn Bernau holds the role of Soil Scientist 2 at Agriculture Department within Fertilizer Technical Unitstaff. Their tenure dates to 2014, about 11 years as a full-time employee. In 2025, their total compensation was $91,379. They are represented by MN Assoc of Professional Empl.

Amanda Johnson

Interstate Milk Rating Officer/Agriculture Department

2024 total comp

$91,060

Sub-department: D&M Inspection Director Staff
Base pay: $87,469
Overtime: $3,591
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $91,060
Hire date: 2009-09-24
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 3
Union / bargaining unit: Technical
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2024: Yes
Agency Number: B04
Bargaining Unit Number: 207
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

At Agriculture Department, Amanda Johnson serves as a Interstate Milk Rating Officer within D&M Inspection Director Staff. Hired in 2009, they have about 15 years of service, working full-time. Their 2024 pay totaled $91,060. Union affiliation: Technical.

Brent Furlano

Management Analyst Staff Specialist/Agriculture Department

2025 total comp

$91,025

Sub-department: Quality Assurance Section
Base pay: $91,025
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $91,025
Hire date: 1993-08-23
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 12
Union / bargaining unit: MN Assoc of Professional Empl
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: B04
Bargaining Unit Number: 214
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Brent Furlano is a Management Analyst Staff Specialist at Agriculture Department within Quality Assurance Section. Their tenure dates to 1993, about 32 years, working full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $91,025. Union affiliation: MN Assoc of Professional Empl.

Ryan Lemickson

Soil Scientist 2/Agriculture Department

2025 total comp

$91,025

Sub-department: Clean Water Technical Staff
Base pay: $91,025
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $91,025
Hire date: 2010-06-09
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 12
Union / bargaining unit: MN Assoc of Professional Empl
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: B04
Bargaining Unit Number: 214
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Ryan Lemickson works as a Soil Scientist 2 for Agriculture Department within Clean Water Technical Staff. Their tenure dates to 2010, about 15 years as a full-time employee. Ryan earned $91,025 in 2025. They are represented by MN Assoc of Professional Empl.

Ryan Perish

Soil Scientist 2/Agriculture Department

2025 total comp

$91,025

Sub-department: Fertilizer Field Unit Staff
Base pay: $91,025
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $91,025
Hire date: 2002-06-07
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 12
Union / bargaining unit: MN Assoc of Professional Empl
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: B04
Bargaining Unit Number: 214
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Ryan Perish holds the role of Soil Scientist 2 at Agriculture Department within Fertilizer Field Unit Staff. Hired in 2002, they have about 23 years of service as a full-time employee. In 2025, their total compensation was $91,025. They are represented by MN Assoc of Professional Empl.

Russell Derickson

Soil Scientist 2/Agriculture Department

2025 total comp

$91,010

Sub-department: Fertilizer Field Unit Staff
Base pay: $91,010
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $91,010
Hire date: 1998-06-10
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 12
Union / bargaining unit: MN Assoc of Professional Empl
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: B04
Bargaining Unit Number: 214
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

At Agriculture Department, Russell Derickson serves as a Soil Scientist 2 within Fertilizer Field Unit Staff. Their tenure dates to 1998, about 27 years, working full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $91,010. They are represented by MN Assoc of Professional Empl.

Katherine Rassmussen

Hydrologist 2/Agriculture Department

2025 total comp

$90,565

Sub-department: Surface Water Staff
Base pay: $90,565
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $90,565
Hire date: 2004-09-07
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 12
Union / bargaining unit: MN Assoc of Professional Empl
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: B04
Bargaining Unit Number: 214
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

At Agriculture Department, Katherine Rassmussen serves as a Hydrologist 2 within Surface Water Staff. Hired in 2004, they have about 21 years of service, working full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $90,565. They are represented by MN Assoc of Professional Empl.