Nebraska, Iowa ag leaders nominated for USDA posts

U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated the leaders of two Midwestern state agriculture agencies to fill under secretary positions within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Greg Ibach | Photo courtesy of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture
Greg Ibach | Photo courtesy of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture

U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated the leaders of two Midwestern state agriculture agencies to fill under secretary positions within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

According to a press release from the White House, Greg Ibach, director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, is being nominated to be the under secretary of Agriculture for marketing and regulatory programs, while Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey is being nominated for under secretary of agriculture for farm production and conservation.

Greg Ibach

Ibach has been credited with being a visionary leader for Nebraska’s agriculture agency by effectively supervising departmental staff and programs, while possessing the ability to analyze issues, develop strategies and create solutions for domestic and global initiatives.

Ibach has been inducted into the Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement and honored with the Service to Agriculture recognition from the University of Nebraska- Lincoln, College of Agriculture Science and Natural Resources, among other honors. Ibach is the immediate past president of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA). Ibach and his wife, Teresa, have three grown children and live on their farm and ranch in Sumner, Nebraska.

Northey Bill Iowa Ai

Bill Northey | Photo courtesy of Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship

Bill Northey

Northey is a fourth generation farmer from Spirit Lake, Iowa and is currently serving his third term as Iowa Secretary of Agriculture. Under Northey’s leadership, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has promoted science and new technologies to better care for our air, soil, and water and focused on telling the story of agriculture.

Northey is a past-president of NASDA and serves as co-chair of the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force.

Northey served as president of the National Corn Growers Association from 1995 to 1996. He served on the Iowa U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency State Committee and as a Dickinson County Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioner.

Northey graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Agricultural Business and received a M.B.A. from Southwest Minnesota State University. Northey and his wife Cindy have 3 grown daughters and 5 grandchildren.

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