WASHINGTON – Bill Northey was confirmed by the US Senate to the newly created position of undersecretary of the US Dept. of Agriculture’s Farm and Foreign Agricultural Service (FFAS). The position is part of Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue’s reorganization of the USDA.

Bill Northey

“I applaud Bill Northey’s patience over these many months, which demonstrates what a strong leader he will be at USDA,” Perdue said. “We thank everyone who worked on his confirmation. Bill will come aboard at a crucial time, as his knowledge and expertise will be immediately put to use as the new farm bill is formulated to address the needs of American farmers. In addition, his leadership will be key in the newly-constituted mission area, where the Farm Service Agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Risk Management Agency will be providing an even better customer experience. I am excited to finally have Bill on board.”

Northey began serving on the Iowa Corn Growers Board of directors in the 1980s, as well as serving as president for both the Iowa Corn Growers Association and the National Corn Growers Association.

In 2006, he was elected to serve as Iowa Secretary of Agriculture and was re-elected in 2010 and 2014.

As part of a reorganization of the USDA, Perdue has created, the President appointed, and the US Senate confirmed a new Undersecretary 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 Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC), the position for which Northey is intended. FPAC will encompass the USDA’s domestic-facing agencies: the Farm Service Agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Risk Management Agency.