Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Northey to visit Sioux Rapids

Daily Staff Reporter

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey will be visiting six counties in north-central Iowa on Thursday, June 14 and Friday, June 15, 2007, to listen to Iowans and discuss the tremendous opportunities and significant changes facing agriculture in the state.

Northey, currently serving his first term as Iowa's secretary of agriculture, will be visiting Goldfield, Humboldt and Pocahontas on Thursday and Estherville, Emmetsburg and Sioux Rapids on Friday.

"I think it's important to make myself available to listen to Iowans and answer their questions about agriculture and the issues facing farmers across the state," Northey said in a statement. "I hope all interested parties, farmers and non farmers alike, will come out and take part in the discussion."

His priorities as the Secretary of Agriculture deal with the opportunities in renewable energy, conservation, and telling the history of Iowa agriculture.

Prior to taking office, Northey was a corn and soybean farmer in Spirit Lake, Iowa. He has lived in the Spirit Lake area his entire life and is a fourth-generation farmer.

His grandfather, E. Howard Hill, was president of the Iowa Farm Bureau from 1947-63. Following in his footsteps, Northey has been active in Farm Bureau also, serving at the county level as president, vice president and voting delegate as well as the committee chairman of several committees.

Since graduating from Iowa State University with a degree in agricultural business in 1981, Northey has held numerous important positions in the field of agriculture.

In 1995-96, he served as the president of the National Corn Growers Association and followed that by serving as chairman in 1996-97. He has also served as chairman of the Government Relations Committee, the Market Development Committee and the Ethanol Sub-Committee, and as representative to the Renewable Fuels Association, to the American Sugar Alliance and the US Feed Grains Council.

In 1997, he was selected for the Commission on 21st Century Production Agriculture, a group charged with making recommendations for a 2002 Farm Bill. He was appointed by Senator Lugar to the 11-member Commission.

From 2001-2005, Northey served on the Iowa USDA Farm Service Agency state committee. This committee, which oversees the operation of the Farm Service Agency, can provide over $1 billion of support for Iowa farmers in years of low prices or poor crop yields.

He was co-founder and president of Innovative Growers, LLC (IG), which is an organization hatched from ISU Extension Leadership. IG is a farmer-owned and farmer-managed group designed to capitalize on demand for the production of specialty grain products.

Northey also boasts a Masters in Business Administration from Southwest Minnesota State University which he recieved in 2004. He and his wife Cindy have three daughters--Jessica, Emily and Katie.

The secretary's tour begins today in Goldfield of Wright County at 12:30 pm., with his last stop Friday in Sioux Rapids at 3 p.m. in the media center of Sioux Central Community School. The school is located south of Spencer on highway 71.

Secretary of Ag Roadtrip through Northwest Iowa

Thursday, June 14

Wright County -- 12:30 p.m., Gold Eagle Co-op, 415 North Locust, Goldfield

Humboldt County -- 2:30 p.m., ISU Extension Office, 727 Sumner Avenue, Humboldt

Pocahontas County -- 4:30 p.m., Pizza Ranch, 211 Main Street, Pocahontas

Friday, June 15

Emmet County -- 8 a.m., Masonic Temple, 2003 Central Avenue, Estherville

Palo Alto County -- 10 a.m., Iowa Lakes Community College, Wellness Center, 3200 College Drive, Emmetsburg

Buena Vista County -- 3 p.m., Sioux Central Community School (media center), 4440 US Highway 71, Sioux Rapids