State ag director from Shelbina to speak at free women in agriculture event on Aug. 2 in Ewing

EWING, Mo. — Chris Chinn, director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture, will be the featured speaker at a free Women in Agriculture workshop from 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 2, at the First Baptist Church of Ewing, 21875 Highway 6. The event is free, and lunch is included.

Chinn, a fifth-generation farmer, lives in Shelby County in northeastern Missouri. She has served as the state’s director of agriculture since 2017 and has used social media to attract more than 10,000 followers. She and her husband have a 1,600-sow farrow-to-finish hog operation as well as a family feed mill and small cow-calf herd. They also raise row crops and hay.

Chinn will join other leading ag professionals from northeastern Missouri and Illinois, said Brenda Schreck, a University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist based in Lewis County.

Speakers include MU Extension agronomists, horticulturists and business and policy specialists as well as representatives from USDA Farm Service Agency, Missouri Department of Conservation and area businesses.

The event includes a combination of educational and fun events, Schreck says. The program includes a session on how to make candles, learning the ABCs of FSA, fall gardening, how to care for aging trees, learning about goats and soil health and testing.

In a press release, Schreck said, “The event will empower women in agriculture to make informed decisions about farm and home management.”

To register, go to https://extension.missouri.edu/events/women-in-agriculture or contact Schreck at schreckb@missouri.edu or 573-767-5273.

MU Extension, FCS Financial and the Lewis County Soil and Water Conservation District are sponsors the event.