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Northey hopes to see Southern-Midwestern ‘balance’ in USDA

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey says U.S. Ag Secretary nominee Sonny Perdue has a very good reputation within the ag industry.

“I don’t know him from personal contact before, but all that I’ve read and others that know him speak very highly of him and his agricultural experience,” Northey says. “So I look forward to working with him.”

With Perdue coming from a Southern state, Northey says he hopes to see the Midwest well represented in other top positions at USDA.

“I would hope that there’s a balance, at the end of the day,” he says. “There are a lot of other important positions there, and so I would hope that there are Midwest voices that would be in USDA.”

As the search for an ag secretary nominee dragged on, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley suggested Northey should be considered for the top USDA post.

“I had some conversations with some of the folks working on transition, but nothing formal at all. No interview around that position,” Northey says.

But Northey has indicated he would be open to working in the USDA, if the right position comes along.

AUDIO: Bill Northey