Mike Naig tapped to replace Northey as Iowa's ag secretary

Mike Naig will become Iowa's new agriculture secretary after Bill Northey takes a top job with U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Gov. Kim Reynolds named Naig, who turns 40 Friday, to lead the Iowa Department of Agriculture after the U.S. Senate confirmed Northey as the under secretary for farm production and conservation.

Northey, 58, could move into his new USDA position as soon as next week, although no official date has been set.

Naig will fulfill Northey's term, which runs through 2018.

The department has about 335 employees, with about $120 million in state and federal funding.

“Mike Naig has been a dependable deputy for Bill Northey, serving since September 2013,” Reynolds said.

“He has gained the experience, knowledge and staff connections necessary to complete Bill’s term," she said in a statement. "I am pleased Mike has stepped up to serve his fellow Iowans in this elevated role.”

Naig said he would hit the ground running.

“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,'" said the Cylinder native.

"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 said in a statement.

Naig will face a full slate of opponents for the top job.

Among the Republican candidates: Craig Lang, past president of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, and Ray Gaesser, a Corning farmer and past chairman of the American Soybean Association.

A Democrat has entered the race as well. Tim Gannon, who worked for eight years at USDA under Secretary Tom Vilsack, a former Iowa governor.

Naig has overseen several of the ag agency's operations, including policy, budget and personnel as deputy secretary.

He grew up on a family farm near Cylinder in northwest Iowa and continues to help his father and uncle with their crop and livestock operation.

Naig and his wife, Jaime, have three sons and live in Urbandale.