Josh Svaty, a fifth-generation farmer in Ellsworth County and a state legislator from the 108th district, has gotten the nod from Gov. Mark Parkinson to replace Adrian Polansky as Kansas Secretary of Agriculture.
Svaty, 29, has held his legislative post since 2003. His family farm in the heart of the Smoky Hills grows wheat, grain sorghum, soybeans, corn and sunflowers. The operation also has a cow-calf herd and sheep. Svaty and his wife, Kimberly, have a baby son, Jackson.
The new secretary will serve as an interim until his confirmation by the Senate if authorized by the Senate Confirmation Oversight Committee.
Polansky, whose last day as Kansas Agriculture Secretary was Friday, will become head of the federal Farm Service Agency.