March 2, 2018
After months of delay, Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey ('81 agricultural business) was confirmed to a top U.S. Department of Agriculture post Tuesday.
The 58-year-old Spirit Lake farmer becomes USDA's undersecretary for farm production and conservation, following a U.S. Senate voice vote.
“While this process has taken longer than expected, I remain as excited as ever to work with Secretary Perdue and the staff at USDA to support of our nation’s farmers and ranchers,” Northey said in a statement.
Mike Naig, deputy secretary of agriculture since 2013, has been promoted to succeed Northey at the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.