DES MOINES, IA – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue administered the oath of office yesterday, March 6th, to Bill Northey at the Annual Iowa Ag Leaders Dinner. Northey will serves as the Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“After months of waiting, I’m thrilled to finally have Bill on board at USDA,” Secretary Perdue said. “The patience he displayed throughout this process is an indicator of what kind of steady leader he will be on our team, and we are eager for him to get to work.  Bill comes to us at an important time, as farm incomes are down and expected to fall further.  Additionally, with work on the 2018 Farm Bill already underway, Bill will play an integral role in the advice we offer to Congress.”

In addition to his long service as Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture, Northey has also held other positions of leadership in agricultural fields.  He is a former president of the National Corn Growers Association and served in state and local roles for the Iowa Farm Bureau. A fourth-generation corn and soybean farmer, he and his wife Cindy have three daughters and five grandchildren.