Meet the Chairs of the Senate and House Agriculture Committees
Sen. Steve Southerland (R – Greeneville)
Chairman of Senate Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee
District 9 – Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Sevier and Unicoi counties
Chairman Southerland has served in the state senate for 19 years. He and his wife, Cheri, have one daughter and two grandchildren. He is a member of Buffalo Trail Baptist Church where he has been a deacon since 1981. His career was in the mortgage business for 32 years until retirement. He started working for a local savings and loan company for 11 years and then started Mortgage Federal. In his spare time, he enjoys hunting, fishing and spending time in the mountains. Chairman Southerland was born and raised in Morristown. His family has been in Tennessee since prior to the Revolutionary War.
What inspired you to run for your office?
I enjoy helping people. It’s a way of giving back to my community. It is an interesting story as to why I ran. Sometimes you feel like the Lord is having you do things, and it was a time where the Lord was telling me I was going to run for state senate. I was trying to figure out how to get out of it because in high school when I had to give a speech, I would just lay out of school. I am not one to give speeches. I knew how to get out of it. I said to the Lord, “if this is what you really want me to do, then I want someone to call me this week and say, ‘Steve, I want you to run for state senate.’” So, that Friday afternoon at 4:30, the phone rang and the person on the other end said, “Steve, I want you to run for state senate.”
What is the best way for a constituent to get in contact with a lawmaker?
E-mail. But you can reach us immediately by calling the office. We have staff that can help who are very knowledgeable. You may not be able to get in contact with me, but the staff are available all week long. Also, my home telephone number is still in the book. People call all the time and if I don’t answer, I have an answering machine and I will call you back.
*Full interview here.
Rep. Chris Todd (R – Jackson)
Chairman House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee
District 73 – Portion of Madison County
Chairman Todd has served as a lawmaker for just shy of six years, after being elected to serve in the 111th General Assembly. Growing up in Paris, Todd’s family comes from agriculture, where his grandfather raised hogs, cattle, beans and corn. After obtaining his biology degree in Jackson, he put down roots there and began to operate his erosion control business. He and his wife, Melissa, are the parents of two children, one son and one daughter, and enjoy traveling and staying involved in their community.
What role does Farm Bureau play in the legislative process?
There’s so much presented in a year in the legislature it’s almost unmanageable to keep an eye on. Having folks like Farm Bureau watching bills on a week-to-week basis is vital. Even as chairman, there can be some things come through that I may not notice potential consequences. It takes all eyes to make sure we don’t trip up and pass something detrimental. Having Farm Bureau look out for property rights and for the agriculture community on any bills which could potentially do harm or not support our community is vital.
What are you most proud of in your time as a member of the general assembly?
I would say the first bill I passed, which repealed a bad law. A month after getting elected, I had a constituent call and ask me to look into a bill which threatened to close their business. We researched how the bill passed and found out it was run by a company moving to Tennessee wanting to create an exclusivity for the company in their field so no one else could comply with the law and stay in business. There were many small businesses across the state which were going to be affected by it, so I met with leadership and presented it in committee. I shared how it was affecting small businesses. From one committee to the next, it passed, and, in the end, we were successful. To have a constituent bring this to me and for me to be able to act on it and get a wrong righted meant a lot.
*Full interview here.
Rep. Rusty Grills (R – Newbern)
Chairman of House Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee
District 77 – Dyer, Lake, and Portion of Obion Counties
No stranger to Farm Bureau or agriculture, Chairman Grills has deep roots in West Tennessee agriculture. The eldest of four children, Grills is the ninth generation on his family’s row crop operation where they manage more than 3,000 acres. From 2010 to his election to the state house in 2020, Grills served on the Dyer County Commission and continues to be involved in Dyer County Farm Bureau. He and his wife, Christi, have two daughters and attend Lenox Baptist Church. He has served in the legislature for four years, being sworn in midway through the 111th General Assembly after winning his special election.
Do you have any role models in your legislative career?
When I was first sworn in, I joined the House Ag Committee where I sat beside the late Rep. Mike Carter. He was a huge asset to me during my first session. We didn’t get to serve together long, but he was so instrumental. He was full of wisdom and advice and never shied away from a tough conversation. I really miss him, it’s unfortunate he’s gone. All our leadership has been great to work with as well as I’ve grown into my position.
As chairman of a committee with competing interests, how do you handle it?
You must have a moral compass. You have to understand your allegiance is to God first and then the Constitution. When you look at the issue from that world view, you understand what is right and wrong based on principles and don’t get hung up on emotions. When you get hung up in emotions, you are always going to make an irrational decision – doesn’t mean it will be the wrong decision, but an irrational one, nonetheless. Decisions of this weight with what we do in Nashville have to be ones of principle, not emotion.
*Full interview here.
