Flags ordered at half-staff to recognize passing of Bill Northey

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Monday ordered flags to fly at half-staff to recognize the passing of Iowa's former Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey. Flags are to remain at half-staff until sunset on the day of Northey's funeral, according to a statement from the governor's office.

“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,” Gov. Reynolds said in a statement. “Bill understood well our responsibility to be good stewards of the land and exemplified that calling throughout his career. But his life’s greatest role was as a loving husband, father and grandfather. Bill will be missed. Kevin and I offer our deepest condolences and prayers to Cindy and their family.”

Northey was born in May of 1959, according to local archives, and farmed in the Spirit Lake area with his father Wayne — who passed away at the age of 90 less than eight weeks before his son.

Bill Northey, like many Lakes Area youth, raised and exhibited livestock during county competitions. Curt Smith, president of Northwest Bank in Estherville, grew up down the road from the Northey farm and, though Northey was several years his elder, the two young men participated in the same 4-H Club chapter.

"He had leadership qualities back then," Smith said. "As kids, we all looked up to him, and he was just a good man — a straight shooter."

Northey was awarded the Iowa 4-H Foundation's Outstanding 4-H Alum Award in 2016, and he said during a video profile for the foundation that his time as a 4-H student was more important than he realized during his youth, noting the club allowed him and others to develop responsibility within a safe environment. He recalled visiting Washington DC during the club's Citizenship Trip — he would return there years down the road as an undersecretary in the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Northey attended Iowa State University after high school, graduating with a degree in Agriculture Business in 1981 and a master's degree in business administration from Southwest Minnesota State University in 2004. Northey returned home to resume work on the family farm following his undergraduate work and, like his father before him, he found a number of niches in which to serve his community.

In 1982, he was made co-chair of fundraising efforts to construct the Dickinson County Community Building on the local fairgrounds — half the group's $120,000 goal was raised in less than two months. Northey would later serve alongside Smith as part of the Dickinson County Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Smith, now the vice chair of the commission, said Northey's honest, even-keeled nature and real-world experience were a great advantage to local conservation efforts.

"He could push politics to the side, and really dug deep and said 'Let's figure out how we can help the people' — that was his main goal,'" Smith said. "We couldn't have had better leadership, and when he ended up in Washington, that was fantastic. He could take the Iowa values to Washington, and he did a great job there."

Northey also served as president of the National Corn Growers Association and, in mid-November of 2001, he traveled to Tokyo, Japan, as a representative of Innovative Growers, aiming to strengthen ties between soybean producers in the U.S. and Japan.

"By coming over there and also being farmers ourselves, it showed we were people who cared and would stand behind our product," Northey said at the time.

Northey announced his candidacy for Iowa's Secretary of Agriculture in September of 2005 — initially making the announcement in Des Moines before traveling nearly 200 miles to do so again at the Clay County Fair that very afternoon. He won the election in November of 2006 and served in that role from 2007 to 2018.

State Representative John Wills, who also serves as water quality coordinator for the county soil and water commission, described Northey as a champion of agriculture for not just Iowa but the nation. He credited Northey with the passage of the state's water quality bill.

The legislation was the first to be signed into law by Gov. Reynolds after she took office, creating a water quality infrastructure fund and providing related cost-share programs. Wills floor managed the bill in the Iowa House, but he said it was Northey who truly sold the idea behind the bill.

"A lot of people have a lot of knowledge and they try to drown you out with their knowledge, but Bill wasn't that way," Wills said. "He had a lot of knowledge, but when you approached him, talked to him and left, you firmly knew that he listened and heard you. Even though he may have had more knowledge than you on a particular subject, he listened to you. I think everybody can agree he did that — that he had that talent and ability to do that."

Wills said Northey also led the charge in establishing Iowa's Nutrient Reduction Strategy more than a decade ago. The statewide effort promotes practices that decrease the amount of nitrogen entering Iowa's waterways, like the Mississippi and ultimately the Gulf of Mexico. Northey attended a celebration at West O Beer north of Milford last year, recognizing the 10th anniversary of the Nutrient Reduction Strategy — he humbly introduced himself that afternoon as simply a former Spirit Lake farmer.

"If you look at the work that's being done now, there's almost no way that some of us would have thought this much work could get done at the speed that we're doing it," Northey said that day. "But I think we'll feel even more that way 10 years from now as we scale up these practices even more."

Northey resigned from his state-level office in early 2018 to accept the position of Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation with the USDA. He was confirmed in late February of 2018 and remained there until 2021.

"Today, the Iowa farm community lost a giant," U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley said Monday, upon learning of Northey's passing. "Bill Northey was a dear friend and fierce advocate for the family farmer. 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."

Northey was succeeded by current Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, who said Monday's news of his predecessor's passing came as a shock. Naig remembered Northey for his curiosity, care for others and a love of learning. Naig described Northey as a leader and mentor to many in Iowa's agriculture sector — Naig himself awarded Northey an Iowa Ag Leader Award in 2022 for his outstanding and distinguished service to Iowa agriculture.

"As secretary, he had a tremendously positive impact on our state and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, but his influence went well beyond our borders," Naig said. "Whether it was on issues like soil conservation, water quality, renewable energy, foreign animal disease preparedness or trade, Bill was respected nationally and internationally. Bill was smart and people looked toward his leadership on every issue he focused on."

Naig echoed Wills and Smith in saying Northey's passing was a major loss, but Smith said Northey never forgot his Dickinson County roots, and he doubts many will soon forget Northey's impact on Iowa agriculture.

"The ripple effect will go on forever," Smith said.

This story was updated Tuesday, Feb. 6 with comments from Smith and Wills.

A previous version of this article incorrectly cited the June publication date of Northey's birth notice as his birth date. This article was updated to show his correct birth month of May.