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Secretary of Agriculture

Mike Naig (R) seeks re-election against Chris Jones (D).

About the Office

The Iowa Secretary of Agriculture leads the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, elected to a four-year term. The Secretary oversees agricultural inspections, soil and water conservation programs, pesticide regulation, food safety, and state grain warehouse licensing.

This office shapes Iowa's agricultural and water policy, including the voluntary versus mandatory approach to reducing farm runoff pollution that affects drinking water across the state. It also regulates pesticides, food safety, and weights and measures.

Race at a Glance

Incumbent
Naig (R)
Term Length
4 Years
Election Day
Nov 3, 2026

Mike Naig has held the office since 2018 when he was appointed by Gov. Reynolds and then elected later that year. Chris Jones is a retired University of Iowa water research scientist who founded the Iowa Driftless Water Defenders.

The Candidates

Each candidate's positions are drawn from primary sources: campaign communications, voting records, debates, and direct interviews.

Mike Naig

Mike Naig (R)

Republican incumbent · Iowa Secretary of Agriculture since 2018

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Bio and Career

Naig grew up on his family's Century Farm near Cylinder in northwest Iowa, where he learned crop and livestock farming from his father and uncle. He remains involved in the family operation as its fourth generation. He graduated from Emmetsburg High School in 1996 and earned bachelor's degrees in biology and political science from Buena Vista University in Storm Lake in 2000, then spent 13 years in agribusiness working in public policy roles for state and national trade associations and in private industry.

Naig joined the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship as Deputy Secretary in September 2013 under then-Secretary Bill Northey, handling the department's policy, budget, and personnel operations. When Northey left in March 2018, Gov. Kim Reynolds appointed Naig to serve out the remainder of the term. Naig won a full four-year term in November 2018, defeating Democrat Tim Gannon, and was reelected in 2022, defeating Democrat John Norwood.

Primary Issues
Water Quality & Voluntary Conservation

Says Iowa is "not where we need to be" on water quality and backs a "farm-to-faucet" approach: conservation practices upstream plus treatment capacity for cities. Points to a 2026 funding package he helped secure that redirects existing water quality money to nitrate removal at Central Iowa Water Works, more conservation above the Des Moines metro, and grants and low-interest loans for small-town water systems. Wants to double or triple cover crop acres from the more than 4 million he cites and expand nitrate-reducing wetlands to about 1,000. Opposes mandates, arguing that voluntary, farm-specific practices last longer than "one-size-fits-all" regulation.

Trade, Biofuels & Animal Disease Response

Leads international trade missions, noting that exports add great value to Iowa farms. Wants Congress to pass a farm bill with year-round E15 sales and says the Senate is the holdup. Supports ethanol and biodiesel as economic drivers and as alternatives to electric vehicles. Emphasizes the department's animal disease response, including avian influenza and a recent pseudorabies case he says was contained within days.

Local Food & Farm Diversification (Choose Iowa)

Launched Choose Iowa, the state's branding and grant program for Iowa-grown and Iowa-made food, to help farmers sell directly and set their own prices. Backed the 2026 Iowa Farm Act, which made a local-food purchasing grant for schools permanent, and funds meat locker expansion grants. Supports letting meat from state-inspected lockers be sold across state lines. Says better crop insurance for specialty-crop growers should come through the federal farm bill, not state subsidies.

Endorsements
  • Iowa Farm Bureau Federation
  • Iowa Corn Growers Association
  • Republican Party of Iowa
Donor Information
  • Total individual contributions: 886
  • In-state: 821 (92.7%) Out-of-state: 65 (7.3%)
  • Small-dollar donors ($100 or less): By count: 408 of 886 (46.0%) By dollar volume: $32,741 of $693,089 (4.7%)
1. RSLC Victory Fund — Washington, DC — $150,000
Political action committee affiliated with the Republican State Leadership Committee, which supports Republican candidates for state-level offices nationwide.
2. JT Broin Trust — Sioux Falls, SD — $35,000
Trust associated with Jeff Broin, founder and CEO of POET LLC, one of the world's largest biofuel and ethanol producers.
3. Jim Dean — Sioux Center, IA — $20,000

Source: Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board (IECDB), as of July 14, 2026. webapp.iowa.gov/iecdb

Chris Jones

Chris Jones (D)

Democratic nominee · Retired UI water research scientist · Founder, Iowa Driftless Water Defenders

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Bio and Career

Jones grew up in Ankeny. He earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry and biology from Simpson College in 1983, and a PhD in analytical chemistry from Montana State University in 1989. He then spent 15 years managing a testing laboratory and consulting for water utilities in Minnesota. He was supervisor of water quality at Des Moines Water Works from 2003 to 2011, then an environmental scientist at the Iowa Soybean Association from 2011 to 2015, where he started a state-certified testing laboratory serving agriculture. From 2015 until retiring in May 2023, he was a research engineer at the University of Iowa's IIHR-Hydroscience & Engineering, managing the state's network of water quality sensors.

During his time at IIHR, Jones built a large public following through a University-sponsored blog documenting agricultural sources of Iowa's water pollution, and now writes a Substack newsletter on the same subjects for more than 5,000 subscribers. In 2023 he published "The Swine Republic: Struggles with the Truth about Agriculture and Water Quality," and in 2024 he co-founded the nonprofit Iowa Driftless Water Defenders focused on water quality in northeast Iowa's Driftless Region. He has been a public critic of state legislators who have moved to cut funding for the water quality monitoring programs he supported at IIHR.

Jones launched his campaign for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture on January 15, 2026 outside the Des Moines Water Works, framing the office as needing "a secretary of agriculture that is for the people ... and not just for corporate agriculture". He defeated Marshalltown-area farmer Wade Dooley in the Democratic primary. His platform centers on diversifying Iowa's corn-and-soybean cropping system, transitioning livestock production away from concentrated animal feeding operations, stronger regulation of agricultural polluters, and expanded access to locally grown food.

Primary Issues
Water Quality & Regulating Agricultural Pollution

Argues voluntary measures have failed, citing the more than 6,000 private wells with nitrate above the federal limit, nitrate problems in about 60 to 70 city water systems including Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, and Iowa City, and Iowa's second-highest cancer rate. Proposes taxing or banning fall anhydrous ammonia application, banning fall tillage, requiring 50-foot crop-free buffers along streams, and reviewing livestock facility permitting and manure management. Says he does not want "environmental cops" patrolling farms, and argues Iowa can't restrict water use in Des Moines while leaving upstream practices unregulated.

Diversifying Iowa Agriculture & Local Food

Wants to move Iowa beyond corn and soybeans, which cover about 94% of its cropland, toward oats, forage crops, pasture-raised livestock, and fruits and vegetables for Iowa markets. Proposes taxpayer-funded "off-ramps" to help farmers transition (equipment, fencing, buildings, insurance), possibly paid for by taxing farm inputs such as fall-applied anhydrous ammonia, and supports extending federal crop insurance to more crops. Says Iowa should plan now for what comes after ethanol, which he predicts will decline, and calls the carbon pipeline a "boondoggle." Supports contracts connecting local growers with schools and hospitals, and regulatory relief for direct meat sales.

Pesticide Enforcement & Liability

Calls pesticide drift enforcement his first priority, saying the department doesn't aggressively enforce existing rules. Argues penalties are too weak, citing a $25 commercial applicator license and a $500 maximum fine, and a Page County vegetable grower who he says lost $60,000 in crops to drift. Would consider equipment standards for spraying and manure application. Opposes liability shields for pesticide manufacturers, and supports bans on chemicals shown with reasonable certainty to cause harm, while noting the Secretary lacks authority to ban them.

Endorsements
  • Iowa Driftless Water Defenders
  • Iowa Environmental Council
  • Iowa Democratic Party
Donor Information
  • Total individual contributions: 1,928
  • In-state: 1,755 (91.0%) Out-of-state: 173 (9.0%)
  • Small-dollar donors ($100 or less): By count: 1,609 of 1,928 (83.5%) By dollar volume: $68,898 of $258,856 (26.6%)
1. Tony Singh — Le Claire, IA — $16,000
Founder of a wealth management group.
2. James Larew — Iowa City, IA — $11,485
Owner of the Larew Law Office.
3. Donna Buell — Spirit Lake, IA — $10,100
Credit and debt lawyer.

Source: Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board (IECDB), as of July 14, 2026. webapp.iowa.gov/iecdb

How the Office Would Change

Naig would continue the department's current direction: voluntary, farm-specific conservation under the Nutrient Reduction Strategy, scaled up with new state funding and paired with water treatment investment, alongside export promotion, biofuels advocacy, and expanding local food markets through Choose Iowa. On pesticides, he says regulation should follow EPA's science-based review and that some products could come off the market if new evidence warrants. He opposes "blanket immunity" from lawsuits for manufacturers, but supports resolving conflicts between state warning-label requirements and EPA-approved labels.

Jones would reorient the department toward regulating agricultural pollution, starting with stronger pesticide drift enforcement, and toward helping farmers transition from corn, soybeans, and confinement livestock to more diverse crops, pasture-based livestock, and local food production. He argues the voluntary approach has failed, that corporate agribusiness "extracts wealth" from Iowa while leaving pollution behind, and that the absence of pollution regulation has enabled farm consolidation. He describes his candidacy as "a referendum on the condition of Iowa's water".

Both candidates say Iowa's water quality needs to improve. They disagree on whether to scale up incentives or implement regulation.

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