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Farmers and cattlemen agree: Greitens’ pick for ag director is a slam dunk

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Farmers and cattlemen both seem to agree that Gov.-elect Eric Greitens’ latest pick for the next Director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture is a home run.

“There’s no one who is more of a true believer in good Ag policy, or who has been living and breathing it at an intense level for the majority of her adult life than Chris Chinn,” Casey Guernsey, farmer and former state representative said. “She’s going to be an absolutely choice for director. I couldn’t be more thrilled for her, or for Missouri agriculture.”

The incoming governor has tapped Chris Chinn, a hog farmer from Clarence in northeast Missouri, to take over the position from Richard Fordyce in an announcement on social media Tuesday afternoon.

“It’s welcome news. I think Chris will do a great job, she’s been a great advocate for Missouri agriculture,” Mike Deering,  Executive Vice President of the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association said. “She’s a fabulous choice, and will make a good director.”

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

Chinn comes to the Greitens team with a background in farming. Chinn and her husband are fifth-generation farmers, raising cattle, hogs, corn, hay and soybeans on their farm in northeastern Missouri. It’s a characteristic that endears her to Missouri’s farmers and producers, since she has been where they have.

Chris Chinn Twitter: @chrischinn
Chris Chinn                                                                                        Photo from Twitter: @chrischinn

“She’s been very active within various commodity groups and ag associations. Her whole family has been,” Guernsey said. “She’s been involved in some pretty big issues for years, and she gets it from a family-farming perspective, which is exactly the person you want to have in that position: someone who is so interested in policy that she spends the majority of her time volunteering and advocating for agriculture… it’s a natural fit.”

She’s also a well-recognized advocate for agriculture, serving as a voice throughout the state, both through verbal and the written word. Chinn serves on the Missouri Farm Bureau State Board of Directors and is also a former chairperson of the American Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee. Deering says that one of the best things about the choice is Chinn’s ability to educate people about agriculture and the issues it faces.

“She understands all facets of the industry, and for many years, she has been a leading advocate and spokesperson for the industry,” Deering said. “She’s really been doing a great job educating consumers about how animals are cared for, how the land, water and resources are cared for, and trying to put some of they myths to bed. She’ll use the platform to educate the general public about the state’s number one industry, and teach them about farming and ranching, and the benefits of it.”

The role of agriculture director reaches across a wide area, and Guernsey says that will give her a lot of ability to engage the state at a level it needs.

“The Department of Agriculture is more diverse than what people understand. Every scale in the grocery store, every gas pump is regulated by them. It’s not just cows and plows, they really play a critical role in everyone’s lives,” Deering said. “Agriculture is vitally important to every person in this state, in this country, and in this world. ”

In his statement, the Gov.-elect said Chinn is a fighter, and is ready to fight for Missouri. Both Guernsey and Deering agree that Chinn will be a strong advocate for farmers, and that under her direction, Missouri’s role as a leader in agriculture will continue to strengthen.