Mike Naig took over as Iowa agriculture secretary as his boss and mentor, Bill Northey, emerged from a colorful confirmation period and took his new job as U.S. secretary of agriculture. Naig settled into his new job — one important step up from his old one — just in time to see the U.S. and China embark on a trade spat that has soybean and pork farmers fearing a direct economic hit. At home, crop planting was delayed by a winter that was stubbornly holding on. We talked to Naig about his ascension to the top job, his unusual 40th birthday present, and what he considers the key to success in a very public job. 

How was your transition to the new job? 
I was appointed on March 1. My 40th birthday was March 2. It was an eventful week. We are mainly trying to stay the course. Since I had an extended time with [former Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey, whose confirmation to a federal position took longer than expected], we had plenty of time to adjust. That adjustment has been a priority. Of course, on soil and water quality we’ve had a busy session with Senate File 512 passing [to provide money for water quality work]. We are actively working on what is next. We aren’t marking time. We are ready to roll.

Does it feel like staying the course? 
Having served as the deputy for nearly five years, I’m very comfortable with the direction we are going. I have been intimately involved with animal disease prevention and with water quality. The [state’s] Nutrient Reduction Strategy passed in 2013. I arrived in the fall. Those are things I’ve been involved in. But even with water, things have been changing rapidly. We are moving ahead, but we have good momentum. I don’t expect a sharp change in direction.

Some continue to push for the local sales tax for outdoor recreation and conservation. Good idea?
I was very much supportive of Senate File 512, which lays out water quality funding for the next 12 years. But that is just the next 12 years. There was always going to need to be another conversation about what is next. 512 allowed us to move from demonstration to implementation. The predictability allows us to attract more partners.

Now on the sales tax in particular, I do think it’s going to be worth watching. As we look at comprehensive tax reform, there is certainly discussion about the sales tax. That’s part of the discussion. 

What were the biggest lessons you learned from your predecessor and colleague, Bill Northey?
He traveled the state extensively. You have to get out and visit people. Even in tough economic times, there is a lot of optimism out there, and you could miss that [without traveling]. And there are some issues out there. You need to sit across the table from folks.

The other thing I saw him do, and it pays dividends, is you have to listen and learn. You intersect with so many issues. Something will come across my desk that I didn’t even know about. 

Do people agree with pretty much everything you say?
[Laughs.] There are very sharp, independent-minded people out there. They will come up and share their opinions.

What makes you tick?
I think what I see as an important piece of the job is you create a vision and try to articulate that. How do we want to treat our customers? Then give the team flexibility and room to operate. The team you put around yourself is critically important. I like that people piece. I like turning them loose. It’s good to do vision checks once in a while, but I know that not every good idea that emanates from this place is coming from me. I’m hungry to know what others are thinking. 

Are you sort of matter of fact, level-headed?
Maybe you should ask my staff. I try to be. We have had some great days here, and we’ve had really tough days, like the avian influenza outbreak in 2015. You have to keep an even keel. I think I’m pretty fair. 

How do you handle big challenges?
We had a job to do [with avian influenza]. As bad as my day was, there were [poultry] producers out there whose livelihood was on the line. 

How do you foster innovation?
One thing that is so true about agriculture is the one constant is change. We feel very connected to that. Things don’t stand still. We need to change with the times.

You think about a soil conservation program that has been in existence for decades, doing good work, as a foundation for water quality work. But there are differences in approaches. That has required us to take some innovative approaches. For instance, traditional cost-share approaches to cover crops. This past year, we offered an incentive to offer a crop insurance discount for people who use cover crops [such as winter wheat, rye or sorghum, which hold the soil in place when corn isn’t growing]. More than 90 percent of farmers are involved in crop insurance, so it allows us to reach a broad audience. That’s a way to spread more dollars around.

We have to scale up in a way that we haven’t before when it comes to installing conservation practices [such as no-till farming, bioreactors, wetlands, buffer strips], and that requires innovation.

In the animal industries, I see a lot of potential there to upgrade our technology. I think we can improve our information technology here at the department.

Just generally, it can be challenging to upgrade information technology in government, but we’re working through that. We are able with support from the Legislature and [the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency] we’ve been able to make improvements. 

What other innovations are coming? 
I think we’ll see the autonomous tractors. Also, we have layers of data. To what extent can you have that data inform your decisions? I hope we look back and say, “This is when precision ag and also precision conservation took off.” People are out there, but widespread application will be coming. 

What will stop a major bioterrorism attack?
I think biosecurity, generally, within animal disease needs to be a focus. It’s costly and can be an inconvenience. You have to slow yourself down to observe what is inside and what is outside, but it’s critically important. The best thing we can do is keep disease out of the buildings.

The farm economy is experiencing some stress. We have been on a downward trend. The USDA outlook is looking like the worst may be behind us. All of the stressors that come with that downward pressure. Layer into that trade, tariffs and NAFTA negotiations that could be a headwind. And the [Renewable Fuel Standard, which sets how much ethanol must be used by refiners]. 

What do you do in your spare time?

I try to stay active. Our three boys are active. Sports, activities. We love to be outdoors. I spend as much time as I can at our farm [at Cylinder] helping my dad and uncle. The boys would rather be up there. n