Bill Northey
Official portrait, 2018
Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm Production and Conservation
In office
March 6, 2018 – January 20, 2021
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byMichael Scuse
Succeeded byRobert Bonnie
14th Secretary of Agriculture of Iowa
In office
January 2, 2007 – March 5, 2018
GovernorChet Culver
Terry Branstad
Kim Reynolds
Preceded byPatty Judge
Succeeded byMike Naig
Personal details
Born
William Howard Northey

(1959-05-27)May 27, 1959
Spirit Lake, Iowa, U.S.
DiedFebruary 5, 2024(2024-02-05) (aged 64)
Political partyRepublican
SpouseCindy Northey
Children3
EducationIowa State University (BS)
Southwest Minnesota State University (MBA)

William Howard Northey (May 27, 1959 – February 5, 2024) was an American politician who served as the Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation in the United States Department of Agriculture from 2018 to 2021.[1] A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the Secretary of Agriculture of Iowa, first elected on November 7, 2006, and sworn in on January 2, 2007. In that position he led the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

Education and family

Northey graduated from Iowa State University with an undergraduate degree in agricultural business in 1981 and was a member of the FarmHouse Fraternity, serving as its president during his senior year. Northey received a Master in Business Administration degree from Southwest Minnesota State University in 2004.[2]

Northey and his wife, Cindy, had three daughters. Northey died in February 2024 at the age of 64.[3]

Career in agriculture

Northey was active in agriculture groups at the county, state, and national levels. From 1995 to 1996, Northey served as president of the National Corn Growers Association and was chairman of the group in 1996 and 1997.[4] He also led a number of committees for the Corn Growers. Northey was named a "Friend of Agriculture" by the Iowa Farm Bureau Political Action Committee in 2006 and served in a number of Farm Bureau offices at the county and state level, including serving as president, vice president, and committee chairman of the Dickinson County Farm Bureau.[5]

Northey also served on the Iowa USDA Farm Service Agency State Committee, was a Dickinson County Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioner, and was a board member of Ag Ventures Alliance.

Northey was co-founder and president of Innovative Growers, LLC, which is an organization hatched from ISU Extension Leadership. Innovative Growers is a farmer-owned and farmer-managed group designed to capitalize on demand for the production of specialty grain products. On his farm, Northey employed the farming practices of reduced tillage, GPS, grid soil sampling and identity preserved production. He raised crops of corn and soybeans.[4]

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture

Northey ran for Secretary of Agriculture on a platform of expanding opportunities in renewable energy, promoting conservation and stewardship, and telling the story of Iowa agriculture. He ran against Democrat Denise O'Brien. He won the election 50% to 48%.[6] In 2010, he was re-elected by a margin of 60% to 35% against Democrat Francis Thicke. In 2014, Northey won re-election with over 62% of the vote.

U.S. Under Secretary of Agriculture

In September 2017, Northey was nominated to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services by President Donald Trump.[7] After a hold by Senator Ted Cruz[8][9] was lifted on February 27, 2018, Northey was confirmed by the Senate.[10]

As part of a reorganization of the USDA, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue created a new Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, as directed by the 2014 Farm Bill. The creation of the new mission area prompted the realignment of several agencies under a newly named Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC), the position which Northey held until his death. FPAC encompasses the USDA's domestic-facing agencies: the Farm Service Agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Risk Management Agency.[11]

Electoral history

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Republican primary election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Bill Northey 32,911 46.75
Republican Mark Leonard 28,315 40.22
Republican Karey Claghorn 9,089 12.91
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Bill Northey 523,539 50.23
Democratic Denise O'Brien 495,873 47.57
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture election, 2010
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Bill Northey (incumbent) 674,572 59.52
Democratic Francis Thicke 398,428 35.15
Write-ins Write-ins 849 0.07
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture election, 2014
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Bill Northey (incumbent) 675,781 59.17
Democratic Sherrie Taha 370,209 32.41
New Independent Levi Benning 39,349 3.45
Write-ins Write-ins 891 0.08

References

  1. ^ Henderson, O. Kay (January 20, 2021). "Bill Northey, heading back to Iowa, reflects on U.S.D.A. tenure". Radio Iowa. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  2. ^ "Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey Tapped for USDA Spot". U.S. News & World Report. Associated Press. September 2, 2017. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  3. ^ "'A great leader': Former Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey dies at age 64". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Patane, Matthew (September 2, 2017). "Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey officially nominated to join USDA". The Gazette. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  5. ^ "Meet the Candidate, Secretary of Agriculture: Bill Northey". Citizen Times. October 28, 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  6. ^ "Iowa 2006 Midterm Election". www.thegreenpapers.com. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  7. ^ Ta, Linh (September 2, 2017). "Trump nominates Bill Northey for key USDA position". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  8. ^ Noble, Jason (November 15, 2017). "In letter, Cruz acknowledges blocking Northey nomination; calls for meeting". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  9. ^ Noble, Jason (October 26, 2017). "Report: Ted Cruz is blocking Bill Northey's USDA appointment". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  10. ^ Eller, Donnelle (February 27, 2018). "Cruz lifts hold; U.S. Senate confirms Bill Northey to USDA post". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  11. ^ "Secretary Perdue Statement on Confirmation of Bill Northey for Key USDA Post | USDA". www.usda.gov. Retrieved January 31, 2019.

External links

Party political offices Preceded byJohn Askew Republican nominee for Secretary of Agriculture of Iowa 2006, 2010, 2014 Succeeded byMike Naig Political offices Preceded byPatty Judge Secretary of Agriculture of Iowa 2007–2018 Succeeded byMike Naig Preceded byMichael Scuse Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services 2018–2021 Succeeded byRobert Bonnie
Secretaries of Agriculture of Iowa
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