Iowa’s new Secretary of Agriculture says there’s “never been a more exciting time” to be involved in the industry. Ag Secretary Bill Northey took the oath of office Tuesday morning, and told on-lookers he wanted to “make good things happen” in Iowa’s ag economy.
“We need to make sure that we grow this renewable energy opportunity and then we’ve got to make sure that we do it the right way,” Northey says. “We need to look at stewardship and conservation and then tell ag’s story, be able to let folks know about modern agriculture.”
Northey, a Republican, says he sees the job of state Ag Secretary as a sort of “advocate.” “We need to put things in the right place, but we also need to make sure that we’re looking at new opportunities around stewardship and conservation,” Northey says. “We can do a better job of taking care of the environment in Iowa as well.”
Northey is a corn and soybean farmer from Spirit Lake. His grandfather was the long-time president of the Iowa Farm Bureau.