Bill Northey, former Iowa agriculture secretary and USDA undersecretary, dies at 64

Gov. Kim Reynolds ordered flags lowered to half-staff Monday to honor Bill Northey, the former Iowa agriculture secretary and a U.S. Department of Agriculture undersecretary, who died at age 64.

Northey, a Spirit Lake Republican, served as secretary of the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship from 2007 to 2018, when former President Donald Trump named him undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation at the USDA, a position he filled until 2021. He was chief executive officer for the Agribusiness Association of Iowa in Des Moines when died.

“Bill was a great leader whose work ethic and passion for Iowa agriculture was unmatched. Iowans and farmers around the country were fortunate to have such a rock-solid advocate and friend,” Reynolds said in a statement.

Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig said he was “in shock” at the news of Northey’s “unexpected passing.” Naig said his predecessor had a positive impact in Iowa and beyond on issues including soil conservation, water quality, renewable energy, foreign animal disease preparedness and trade.

“This is an incredible loss for our state, for agriculture, and for everybody who knew and loved Bill,” Naig said in a statement.

When Northey left Iowa for Washington, D.C., he told The Gazette about some of the challenges and accomplishments of his time leading the state’s agriculture agency. The 2015 bird flu outbreak, Northey said, was “probably the worst time in their professional careers, in their farm families’ lives,” he said of poultry producers.

Northey described his USDA role as performing “customer-facing pieces,” including crop insurance, conservation reserve, farm loans and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. He said in 2019 there were hurdles to proving that cover crops reduce risk of loss so farmers who implement this conservation practice could get a discount on crop insurance. 'How do we make sure of that cover crop use?” he asked in a Gazette interview. 'With yields, we'll send an adjuster out. It can be done, but there's a lot of versions that need to happen.”

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley said Monday his family has been friends with the Northeys for two generations, since 1980.

“Bill Northey was a dear friend and fierce advocate for the family farmer,” he said in a statement. “As Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture and Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation at the United States Department of Agriculture under President Trump, Bill’s commitment to agriculture, biofuels and conservation were unmatched.”

State Auditor Rob Sand, the lone Democrat in state office in Iowa, also praised Northey.

“Bill Northey always treated people with kindness and despite disagreements I never doubted his commitment to public service or his love for the state we both called home. I send my heartfelt condolences to Bill’s wife, Cindy, and their three children as they grieve the loss of their beloved husband and father.”

Flags will be at half-staff until sunset of the day of Northey’s funeral, plans for which had not yet been announced Monday afternoon.

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