NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Andy Holt faces accusations in a new lawsuit of trying to use his position to try to pressure the powerful lobbying organization for the state's farmers to endorse Republican gubernatorial candidate Marsha Blackburn.
The allegations emerged in a lawsuit filed this week in Weakley County Circuit Court by former Farm Bureau Insurance agent Bryant Rhodes.
Rhodes' lawsuit claims he caught Holt engaging in "deceitful, unethical and fraudulent" conduct during an April 25, 2026, property sale where Holt was serving as the auctioneer and, as a result, the agriculture commissioner fabricated a story to pressure the Tennessee Farm Bureau to terminate the veteran insurance agent.
The lawsuit claims Farm Bureau yielded to Holt's pressure in an effort to placate the state official, who was already upset with the Farm Bureau for refusing to endorse Blackburn.
"Holt, understanding his influence over Farm Bureau as Commissioner of Agriculture, and as a designated spokesperson for the Blackburn Campaign, began to use this false story he created to pressure Farm Bureau into terminating Rhodes,” the complaint alleges.
It says Farm Bureau “was already worried about upsetting Holt, as Commissioner of Agriculture, because Farm Bureau, at the time, would not publicly endorse Holt's preferred candidate for the upcoming Republican Primary for the Tennessee Governor Election, Marsha Blackburn, who Holt was also aware that Rhodes did not support in the primary. Holt continued to pressure Farm Bureau to support Marsha Blackburn."
NewsChannel 5 reached out to Holt and a spokesperson for the Tennessee Department of Agriculture for comment, but we have not heard back.
The lawsuit focuses on a dispute about what happened during that April auction in Weakley County where Rhodes was attempting to purchase the land. At the time, Rhodes was serving as agency manager for the Weakley County Farm Bureau.
Rhodes accuses Holt, in his capacity as an auctioneer, of actions that were "nothing short of deceitful, unethical and fraudulent in an attempt to run up the price on the property.”
"At the Auction, it became clear to everyone attending that Holt, and others working with him, were apparently engaging in a coercive, unethical and fraudulent scheme to drive Rhodes' bid up," the complaint alleges.
It claims Holt was "embarrassed" and "having been called out for his unethical practices, began undertaking a campaign of misrepresenting the facts and seeking to punish Rhodes."
Holt's efforts, according to the lawsuit, included phone calls to Farm Bureau officials in which he "threw his weight around as Commissioner of Agriculture and outright falsely stated what happened at the auction."
Farm Bureau never bothered to ask Rhodes for his explanation about what had occurred, it adds.
"Farm Bureau was only interested in protecting its reputation and currying favor with the Commissioner of Agriculture and the person in charge of drumming up support for Marsha Blackburn in Weakley County."