About Bill Northey
Bill Northey, 64, American politician, Iowa secretary of agriculture (2007–2018).
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Full Biography
|William Howard Northey (May 27, 1959 – February 5, 2024) was an American politician who served as the Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation in the United States Department of Agriculture from 2018 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the Secretary of Agriculture of Iowa, first elected on November 7, 2006, and sworn in on January 2, 2007. In that position he led the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.
Education and family
Northey graduated from Iowa State University 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.
Northey and his wife, Cindy, had three daughters. Northey died in February 2024 at the age of 64 in West Des Moines.
Career in agriculture
Northey was active in agriculture groups at the county, state, and national levels. From 1995 to 1996, Northey served as president of the National Corn Growers Association and was chairman of the group in 1996 and 1997. He also led a number of committees for the Corn Growers. Northey was named a "Friend of Agriculture" by the Iowa Farm Bureau Political Action Committee in 2006 and 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 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.
Northey was 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 employed the farming practices of reduced tillage, GPS, grid soil sampling and identity preserved production. He raised crops of corn and soybeans.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture
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 Democrat Denise O'Brien. He won the election 50% to 48%. In 2010, he was re-elected by a margin of 60% to 35% against Democrat Francis Thicke. In 2014, Northey won re-election with over 62% of the vote.
Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services
In September 2017, Northey was nominated to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm Production and Conservation by President Donald Trump. After a hold by Senator Ted Cruz was lifted on February 27, 2018, Northey was confirmed by the Senate.
As part of a reorganization of the USDA, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue created a new Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, as directed by the 2014 Farm Bill. The creation of the new mission area prompted the realignment of several agencies under a newly named Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC), the position which Northey held until 2021. FPAC encompasses the USDA's domestic-facing agencies: the Farm Service Agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Risk Management Agency.
Electoral history
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Northey
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 9 questions
Questions drawn from Bill Northey's archived record and the sources above.
1.In which year did Bill Northey die?
- A.2020
- B.2011
- C.2015
- D.2024correct
Bill Northey died in 2024.
Source: Profile: year of death: "ord: year of death 2024. Archive record: year of birth 1959. Archive record: age at death 64. Archive record: place of death February. Archive record: occupation pol
2.How old was Bill Northey when they died?
- A.64correct
- B.53
- C.69
- D.56
Bill Northey was 64 years old at the time of death.
Source: Profile: age at death: "8, 2013, at the Wayback Machine Biography at Ballotpedia Bill Northey Archived October 19, 2016, at the Wayback Machine at Influence Explorer Archive record: year of
3.In which year was Bill Northey born?
- A.1959correct
- B.1947
- C.1953
- D.1950
Bill Northey was born in 1959.
Source: Profile: year of birth: "campaign website Archived August 8, 2013, at the Wayback Machine Biography at Ballotpedia Bill Northey Archived October 19, 2016, at the Wayback Machine at Influence
4.In which month did Bill Northey die?
- A.March
- B.Februarycorrect
- C.May
- D.April
Bill Northey died in February.
Source: Archive record: date of death: "chive record: year of death 2024. Archive record: year of birth 1959. Archive record: age at death 64. Archive record: place of death February. Archive record
5.On which day of the month did Bill Northey die?
- A.5correct
- B.7
- C.6
- D.4
Bill Northey died on day 5 of the month.
Source: Archive record: date of death: "Archive record: year of death 2024. Archive record: year of birth 1959. Archive record: age at death 64. Archive record: place of death February. Archive reco
6.Where did Bill Northey die?
- A.Kraków
- B.Februarycorrect
- C.Marseille
- D.Turin
Bill Northey died in February.
Source: Biography: place of death: "chive record: year of death 2024. Archive record: year of birth 1959. Archive record: age at death 64. Archive record: place of death February. Archive record: oc
7.In which field was Bill Northey known?
- A.chemist
- B.politiciancorrect
- C.novelist
- D.architect
The biography describes Bill Northey as a politician.
Source: Profile: occupation: "ey Archived October 19, 2016, at the Wayback Machine at Influence Explorer Archive record: year of death 2024. Archive record: year of birth 1959. Archive record: age a
8.What nationality was Bill Northey?
- A.Americancorrect
- B.Austrian
- C.Australian
- D.Argentine
Bill Northey is recorded as American.
Source: Profile: nationality: "ayback Machine at Influence Explorer Archive record: year of death 2024. Archive record: year of birth 1959. Archive record: age at death 64. Archive record: place of
9.Where did Bill Northey study?
- A.University of Oxford
- B.Iowa State Universitycorrect
- C.Harvard University
- D.University of Cambridge
Bill Northey is recorded as having studied at Iowa State University.
Source: wikipedia-text article text: where they studied · https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Northey · retrieved 2026-11-12
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