Born February 28, 1955 in Frankfurt an der Oder (GDR).
1978-1980 – military service.
Education
1978 – graduated from the Moscow Institute of Railway Engineers.
1992 – graduated from the Academy of National Economy under the Government of the Russian Federation.
Experience
1980-1981 – Senior Construction Manager at a Moskvoretsky Repair and Construction Trust, the Moskvoretsky district, Moscow.
1981–1986 Lead specialist, Head of department, Deputy Head of the General Directorate of Logistics Support at the RSFSR Ministry of Horticulture
1986–1992 Deputy General Director of the Moskva agro-industrial enterprise
1992–1997 Head of the Department of Agriculture, Deputy Head of Administration of the Lyuberetsky District of the Moscow Region.
1997–1998 Head of the Department of the Economy at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food
1998–1999 First Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food
1999 appointed Minister of Agriculture and Food
2000–2004 Deputy Prime Minister-Minister of Agriculture
2004–2009 Minister of Agriculture
Since March 2009 Governor of the Voronezh Region