AUGUSTA (AP) – The Baldacci administration on Friday announced the departure of Agriculture Commissioner Robert Spear.

The former Republican lawmaker had been held over from the King administration, and has headed the Maine Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources since 1999.

Earlier this year, he was airlifted from Cuba to Miami after he was stricken by septic shock while leading an agricultural trade mission.

“During Bob’s tenure as commissioner he has shepherded the department’s development of some bold and important programs, whether Senior Farm Share, Farms for the Future, or the dairy stabilization,” Gov. John Baldacci said in a statement. “Maine’s farmers have certainly benefited from his leadership and I have enjoyed working with him.”

Deputy Commissioner Ned Porter will serve as acting commissioner after Spear steps down on Nov. 18, the administration said.

Baldacci reappointed Spear in 2003 at the beginning of his governorship and Spear was expected to serve only up to two years. Officials said the Nobleboro farmer subsequently agreed to stay on longer.

“I’m really proud of what we accomplished with a dedicated staff – Farm Share, irrigation, Farms for the Future and providing a safety net for dairy farmers come immediately to mind,” Spear said in the administration statement. “But one of my most important accomplishments was rebuilding morale among employees and re-establishing our credibility in the industry and with our partners.”

Through the federally supported Farm Share program, low-income seniors receive a $100 share of fresh produce grown by local farmers. Under Farms for the Future, producers receive technical and financial assistance to develop business plans and are then eligible for financial assistance.

Baldacci said the state would continue to rely on Spear.

“Bob’s efforts in opening up trade opportunities with Cuba have certainly paid off,” the governor said. “I’ve asked Bob to represent Maine on the next trade mission this December.”

Spear has worked at and run Spear Farms, Inc., a family owned dairy and vegetable farm, since graduating from the University of Maine in 1965.

He aerved in the Maine House of Representatives from 1990 to 1998 before unsuccessfully seeking a state Senate seat.

While in the Legislature, Spear was the prime sponsor of the Compact for Maine’s Forests, a forestry management initiative championed by King that was rejected by state voters in 1997.

Spear served on the Agriculture Committee during his tenure in the House, and for one year was House chairman of the panel. Spear also was a Taxation Committee colleague of Baldacci, who served a dozen years in the state Senate before his eight years as Maine’s 2nd District congressman.

Spear holds an agricultural sciences degree, has served as a selectman and on the school board and has been active in Maine and national soil and water conservation districts.