Chad Hart was born and raised in southwest Missouri. His parents raised a few cattle and operated a small meat locker. He received a B.S. in economics with minors in mathematics, history, and astronomy from Southwest Missouri State University in 1991. He received a Ph.D. in economics and statistics in 1999 from Iowa State University. Chad became a faculty member at Iowa State in 2008. He is a professor in economics, extension economist, and the crop markets specialist for the university.