U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R) a member of the Senate agriculture, nutrition, and forestry committee, issued the following statement on the nomination of Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey to serve as undersecretary for farm production and conservation at the U.S. Department of Agriculture:
“Agriculture has been engrained in Bill Northey all his life. As a fourth generation Iowa farmer, he has dedicated his life to helping farmers and ranchers across the state of Iowa. Bill has traveled around to Iowa’s 99 counties to hear directly from folks about the issues they are concerned about and works tirelessly to identify a path forward. Additionally, he has taken part in important international trade missions and understands the need to promote our agricultural bounty abroad.
“For nearly a decade, Iowa has benefited from having a secretary of agriculture as committed and hardworking as Bill Northey; he will be greatly missed. However, I know he is the best person for the job and will serve the American people well, along with Secretary Perdue, and will be an advocate on behalf of farmers, and not Washington bureaucrats.”