Staff Spotlight

Although he grew up on the livestock side of agriculture, Chad Hart, extension grain markets specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, quickly realized the many ways that agriculture is integrated.

His family raised beef cattle and operated a small meat locker in southwest Missouri. He moved to Iowa in 1991, to pursue his graduate education, where he received a Ph.D. in economics and statistics from Iowa State University in 1999.

His focus today is on the grain market, but he works closely with other extension economists and specialists to stay current on all sectors of agriculture.

As extension grain markets specialist, I talk about the crop markets but I tend to venture into all of the various agricultural markets and help folks understand why the markets are doing what they’re doing.”

Economics can be a dry topic, and it is often referred to as “the dismal science.” However, Hart uses his personal experience and humor to show why numbers matter and how they relate to Iowans.

In addition to extension, he serves as professor in economics and enjoys making a difference across campus and beyond.

“As staff and faculty, we’ re contributing to that information transfer, not only to the students on campus but to Iowans and people across the globe,” said Hart.