Greitens picks new Missouri agriculture department leader

Gov.-elect Eric Greitens selected a hog farmer from northeast Missouri to lead the state Department of Agriculture.

Greitens' pick of Chris Chinn must be confirmed by the state Senate.

“It’s tough enough to run a successful farm, which the Chinns do, but Chris is also a leading agriculture advocate,” Greitens said in a Facebook post. “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.”

Chinn will replace Richard Fordyce, who was selected for the job in 2013 by outgoing Gov. Jay Nixon. Fordyce had hoped to stay on, but he endorsed and later campaigned for Greitens’ opponent in the gubernatorial election, Democrat Chris Koster..

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