Chuck Grassley: “this week, a dear friend of mine and the Grassley family passed away unexpectedly at age 64. A fourth- generation family…”

“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.…”