Reynolds appoints Naig to replace Northey

Last week, Gov. Kim Reynolds appointed Mike Naig to succeed Bill Northey as Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, after Northey left for a position in the Trump administration.
“I want to thank Governor Reynolds for giving me this opportunity. I am excited to work with the Governor and her administration to continue our efforts to support our state’s dynamic agriculture industry,” said Naig of his appointment. “I also want to congratulate Secretary Northey on his confirmation as Under Secretary of Agriculture at USDA. His confirmation is long overdue, but now that the Senate has acted he will be a tremendous advocate for U.S. agriculture in this new role. It has been an honor to serve as a partner with Secretary Northey to help lead the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship for the past four and a half years and I look forward to continuing to work on behalf of the people of Iowa.”
Mike Naig grew up on a family farm in the northwest corner of the state near Cylinder, Iowa.
“I have spent my entire career in agriculture and am inspired by the passion and commitment of the hard working men and women who keep us fed and fueled,” he said. “I look forward to travelling the state as Secretary to meet with and hear from Iowans to better represent their interests and be responsive to their needs.”
He continued, “As Secretary I am committed to building on the momentum that has been created on water quality and accelerating our adoption of conservation practices. With long-term funding now in place, we are positioned to build on the exciting progress that has already been made and scale-up our efforts to achieve the water quality goals we all share.
As Secretary, he is also committed to leading efforts to protect consumers, expanding economic opportunities for Iowans and advocating in Iowa and around the globe on behalf of the hard-working men and women who keep us fed and fueled.
In a state where agriculture is a leading economic driver, Naig knows that protecting our natural resources is essential to our success. He is proud of Iowans for taking on the challenge of improving water quality.
He believes in continuing to embrace science and technology to better care for our state’s natural resources, secure a safe and affordable food and energy supply, and build markets for Iowa products.  
Mike has served as Iowa Deputy Secretary of Agriculture for Northey since September 2013.
As Deputy Secretary, Mike has been responsible for the operations of the department, specifically policy, budget and personnel. He also regularly travelled across the state and on international trade missions.
 His experience working alongside Secretary Northey reinforced in him the importance of being accessible to Iowans to better represent their interests and be responsive to their needs.  
Before joining the Department, Mike had been active in the agribusiness industry for more than 13 years, having served in public policy roles for state and national trade associations and in private industry.
Mike is a graduate of Buena Vista University in Storm Lake with degrees in biology and political science.
He and his wife, Jaime, have three boys.
He continued, “I look forward to hitting the ground running and working with the many diverse stakeholders that are so important to our state’s agriculture industry to support and strengthen all aspects of our ag economy.”