Naig spent 13 years working in the agriculture industry, serving in various trade organizations. He served in this role until March 2018, when Northey was appointed Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation at the
United States Department of Agriculture, at which point governor
Kim Reynolds appointed Naig as
Iowa secretary of agriculture to fill the vacancy left by Northey. Naig won election to a full term as Iowa secretary of agriculture in November 2018, defeating
Democratic challenger Tim Gannon 50% to 47%. During the primary, he received 34.7 percent of the vote, beating fellow Republican
Dan Zumbach but not receiving enough votes to automatically secure the party's nomination. In the election, Naig received the backing of the
Farm Bureau as well as companies like
John Deere and
Monsanto. He has often spoken in favor of
biofuels to combat climate change, rather than switching to electric vehicles. Naig defeated Norwood. ==Personal life==