Bill Northey
Encyclopedia
William Howard "Bill" Northey (born May 27, 1959) is an Iowa
n politician, a member of the Republican Party
, and the current Iowa Secretary of Agriculture
. He was elected on November 7, 2006 and was sworn in on January 2, 2007. As Secretary of Agriculture he leads the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.
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.
Bill and his wife Cindy have three daughters. Jessica received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Iowa State University in Accounting. Emily graduated with an undergraduate degree in Hotel, Restaurant & Institution Management, also from Iowa State University. Katie is attending Liberty University
in Lynchburg, Virginia. The family was active in Faith Evangelical Free Church
in Spirit Lake
. Bill has served as deacon, Sunday school teacher and chairman of various committees at the church.
Like his grandfather, E. Howard Hill, who served as president of the Iowa Farm Bureau from 1947–1963, Northey has been active in the Iowa Farm Bureau. He was named a “Friend of Agriculture” by the Iowa Farm Bureau Political Action Committee in 2006 and has 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.
Northey has 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.
As a result of his involvement in these organizations, he has traveled around the world to view agriculture. He has traveled to Taiwan
, Japan
(five times), Indonesia
and Singapore
(to the WTO Secretariat) representing Iowa farmers. He has also traveled to another 12 countries studying agriculture production and policy.
Northey was also 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 employs the farming practices of reduced tillage, GPS, grid soil sampling and identity preserved production. He raises crops of corn, soybeans, and alfalfa and has raised hogs in the past.
Denise O'Brien. He won the election 51% to 49%.
Northey has committed to traveling to each of Iowa's 99 counties to hear from farmers and rural residents who have a stake in the future of Iowa agriculture.
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
n politician, a member of the Republican Party
Republican Party of Iowa
The Republican Party of Iowa is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Iowa. The State Central Committee is led by Chairman Matt Strawn and Co-Chairman Bill Schickel...
, and the current Iowa Secretary of Agriculture
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture
The Iowa Secretary of Agriculture is an elected position in the United States state of Iowa. The current secretary is Republican Bill Northey.The Secretary of Agriculture heads the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, which is responsible for managing land and helping farmers in the...
. He was elected on November 7, 2006 and was sworn in on January 2, 2007. As Secretary of Agriculture he leads the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.
Education and family
He graduated from Iowa State UniversityIowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
with an undergraduate degree
Undergraduate degree
An undergraduate degree is a colloquial term for an academic degree taken by a person who has completed undergraduate courses. It is usually offered at an institution of higher education, such as a university...
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
Southwest Minnesota State University
Southwest Minnesota State University is a public, four-year university that is part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System. It is located in Marshall, Minnesota, United States, a city of 13,000 people. The school has a full-time enrollment of approximately 3,500 students and...
in 2004.
Bill and his wife Cindy have three daughters. Jessica received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Iowa State University in Accounting. Emily graduated with an undergraduate degree in Hotel, Restaurant & Institution Management, also from Iowa State University. Katie is attending Liberty University
Liberty University
Liberty University is a private Christian university located in Lynchburg, Virginia. Liberty's annual enrollment is around 72,000 students, 12,000 of whom are residential students and 60,000+ studying through Liberty University Online...
in Lynchburg, Virginia. The family was active in Faith Evangelical Free Church
Evangelical Free Church of America
The Evangelical Free Church of America is an evangelical Christian denomination. The EFCA was formed in 1950 from the merger of the Swedish Evangelical Free Church and the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Free Church Association.-History:...
in Spirit Lake
Spirit Lake, Iowa
Spirit Lake is a city in Dickinson County, Iowa, United States. The population was 4,261 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Dickinson County.The town is located along the western shore of East Okoboji Lake, in the Iowa Great Lakes region....
. Bill has served as deacon, Sunday school teacher and chairman of various committees at the church.
Career in agriculture
Throughout his career in agriculture, Northey has been a leader in a variety of farm groups. From 1995-96, he served as president of the National Corn Growers Association and was chairman of the group in 1996-97. He also has led a number of committees for the Corn Growers.Like his grandfather, E. Howard Hill, who served as president of the Iowa Farm Bureau from 1947–1963, Northey has been active in the Iowa Farm Bureau. He was named a “Friend of Agriculture” by the Iowa Farm Bureau Political Action Committee in 2006 and has 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
Dickinson County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 16,667 in the county, with a population density of . There were 12,849 housing units, of which 7,554 were occupied.-2000 census:...
Farm Bureau.
Northey has 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.
As a result of his involvement in these organizations, he has traveled around the world to view agriculture. He has traveled to Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
(five times), Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
(to the WTO Secretariat) representing Iowa farmers. He has also traveled to another 12 countries studying agriculture production and policy.
Northey was also 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 employs the farming practices of reduced tillage, GPS, grid soil sampling and identity preserved production. He raises crops of corn, soybeans, and alfalfa and has raised hogs in the past.
2006 election
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 DemocratIowa Democratic Party
The Iowa Democratic Party is the local branch of the Democratic Party in the state of Iowa.-Current elected officials:Iowa Democrats are in control of the Iowa Senate, one of the state's United States Senate seats, and three out of the state's five United States House of Representatives seats. ...
Denise O'Brien. He won the election 51% to 49%.
Northey has committed to traveling to each of Iowa's 99 counties to hear from farmers and rural residents who have a stake in the future of Iowa agriculture.