[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 22 (Wednesday, February 7, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S438-S439]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            MORNING BUSINESS

                                 ______
                                 

                REMEMBERING WILLIAM H. ``BILL'' NORTHEY

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, this week, a dear friend of mine and 
the Grassley family passed away unexpectedly at age 64. A fourth-
generation family farmer, Bill Northey was a son of the soil from 
Northwest Iowa, where Iowa Nice and a strong work ethic run through the 
bloodstreams in smalltown Iowa.
  Bill graduated from Iowa State University in 1981 with an 
undergraduate degree in agricultural business. A quarter-century later, 
he earned a master of business administration from Southwest Minnesota 
State University. After graduating from Iowa State, Bill returned home 
to the family farm near Spirit Lake, IA, in Dickinson County. Here, 
Bill practiced what he preached. The Northey family farm implemented 
conservation-friendly farming practices, including reduced tillage, 
cover crops, and GPS on its corn and soybean acres.
  At age 20, in the midst of the farm crisis in 1985, Bill was the only 
local farmer to show up at a meeting organized by the Iowa Corn Growers 
Association. Unbeknownst to Bill at the time, that meeting launched his 
public service career. He ran for the Iowa Corn Growers board and, 
later on, became president of the Iowa Corn Growers Association and the 
National Corn Growers Association.
  His resume reflects his lifelong commitment to and champion for Iowa 
agriculture. Bill cut his teeth in public service at the grassroots, 
where he served as a commissioner of the Dickinson County Soil and 
Water Conservation District and rose through the ranks of the Iowa Farm 
Bureau at the county and State levels. In 2006, he ran and won a 
statewide election to serve as Iowa Agriculture Secretary, where he 
served from 2007 to 2018. He served at the helm of the Iowa Department 
of Agriculture and Land Stewardship for 11 years, winning reelection in 
2010 and 2014. Under his leadership, Bill championed renewable fuels, a 
statewide voluntary water quality program and led Iowa producers 
through animal disease outbreaks, including the State's bird flu 
outbreak in 2014-2015 that has helped guide responses today to the 
highly contagious disease.
  President Trump tapped Bill to serve as the first USDA Undersecretary 
for Farm Production and Conservation, where he served under Ag 
Secretary Sonny Perdue until 2021. Bill was caught in some crossfire 
over regional disputes related to the Renewable Fuel Standard. Without 
hesitation, I went toe-to-toe with Texas Senators in support of his 
nomination. Bill was highly qualified and deserving of the 
responsibility to serve in this leadership role for America's farmers. 
Bill never wavered in his patience and commitment to public service. He 
weathered the nomination storm with grace and self-sacrifice over an 
issue that is important to the farm economy, U.S. energy independence, 
national security, and the environment.
  Once confirmed to the USDA post, Bill oversaw a division with 21,000 
employees who worked across 3,000 locations. Traveling to 48 of 50 
States, Bill expanded his agrarian horizons beyond the row crops of 
Middle America. But for Bill, there was no place like home. After 
leaving the USDA, Bill returned to Iowa and was hired to lead the 
Agribusiness Association of Iowa, an organization whose 1,100-plus 
membership supplies feed, seed, crop protection chemicals, grain, 
fertilizer, equipment, and more to support Iowa's agricultural supply 
chain across the State.
  Bill was a natural leader. His decades of advocacy for Iowa 
agriculture came naturally. It was rooted bone-deep in his heritage as 
family farmer. A steward of the soil, Bill understood that a farmer's 
livelihood hinges on protecting natural resources and the whims of 
Mother Nature. He brought dirt-underneath-the-fingernails work 
experience to the policymaking table where his voice mattered. That was 
because Bill spoke with authority, with farm-calloused hands and the 
authenticity of a farmer's heart. He knew the challenges farmers faced 
from 1 year to the next. A soft-spoken leader, Bill had gravitational 
pull with the people he worked with and for the people he served. He 
was approachable, affable, and put in the work. A thoughtful leader, 
Bill was a problem-solver who led by example. As one of the architects 
of

[[Page S439]]

the Nutrient Reduction Strategy and early adopter of cover crops to 
improve water quality, Bill was known to tell farmers, whose 
livelihoods depend on environmental stewardship, that such programs are 
voluntary, but ``not optional.''
  Named an Iowa Master Farmer in 2016, the Iowa farm community has lost 
a giant. Barbara and I have lost a dear friend. His leadership and 
friendship will be missed. Iowa farmers will benefit from his work to 
promote conservation and their work to feed and fuel the world for 
generations to come. To his beloved wife Cindy, three daughters, 
grandchildren, extended family, and loved ones, Barbara and I send our 
prayers and condolences. May Bill's memory heal your hearts and evoke 
smiles and laughter around the dinner table in the days and years to 
come.

                          ____________________