Washington, DC — Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey of Spirit Lake has been nominated to serve in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. On Friday evening, the White House announced President Trump’s decision and, if confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Northey will serve as the U-S-D-A’s undersecretary for farm production and conservation. In mid-May, Northey told Radio Iowa he was “very interested” in working with the Trump Administration on ag policy.
Northey is 57 years old and is in the middle of his third term as the state’s top agricultural official. Northey says being on “the inside” of the U-S-D-A would give him greater insight into crucial federal programs that are important to Iowa farmers, plus he’ll be in a position to be a policy advocate. During an appearance in mid-July, Northey was asked about the challenge of becoming a “bureaucrat.”
Northey has farmed near Spirit Lake since graduating from Iowa State University in 1981, but this spring — in preparation for a posting in D.C. — he handed over the farming operation to someone else.
Once Northey resigns as state ag secretary, Governor Kim Reynolds will name his replacement. A few legislators who are farmers are rumored to be in the mix, including State Senator Dan Zumbach of Ryan, State Senator Tim Kapucian of Keystone and State Representative Pat Grassley of New Hartford — the grandson of U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley. Former state legislator Annette Sweeney, a farmer from Alden, served on President Trump’s Ag Advisory Board and may also be in contention for the job. She is a childhood friend of agribusinessman Bruce Rastetter, an influential donor in Iowa Republican Party politics.
