Greitens taps Chinn for Missouri Department of Agriculture Director

A Shelby County woman has been selected to be the next Missouri Department of Agriculture Director.

Governor-elect Eric Greitens made the announcement via Facebook Tuesday.

In his post, Greitens dubbed Chinn an “outsider and a champion for agriculture.”

“Chris and her husband are fifth-generation farmers,” said Greitens. “They raise hogs, cattle, corn, soybeans, and hay on their farm in Northeast Missouri. It’s tough enough to run a successful farm, which the Chinns do, but Chris is also a leading agriculture advocate. She has become a voice for Missouri farmers, and she has repeatedly stood up to critics and activists. She writes and speaks around the state and country about what a farm can do when it is run with care.”

Greitens went on to note Chinn was selected by the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance as one of their Faces of Farming & Ranching in 2013, an honor given to “just four outstanding farmers in the country.”

In a statement Wednesday morning, Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst echoed Greitens, “We are pleased with Governor-Elect Greiten’s choice of Chris Chinn as the next Director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture. Chris is a respected, nationally-known advocate for agriculture, a successful hog farmer and an exceptional appointment to lead Missouri’s Agriculture Department.”

Chinn serves on the Missouri Farm Bureau State Board of Directors and is a former chairperson for the American Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee.