Governor Mark Parkinson Name Joshua Svaty Preceded by Adrian Polansky Parents Don Svaty | Preceded by ??? Political party Democratic Party Spouse(s) Kimberly Svaty Succeeded by Don Svaty | |
Born November 7, 1977 (age 47)
Ellsworth, Kansas, U.S. ( 1977-11-07 ) Alma mater Sterling College, Kansas Education Sterling College, Washburn University School of Law | ||
Joshua Svaty speaks
Joshua Svaty (born November 7, 1979) is an American politician and businessman from Kansas. He announced his bid for the 2018 Kansas gubernatorial election on May 16, 2017 from an Ellsworth Co-op Elevator dock in Black Wolf, Kansas. He was appointed secretary of the Kansas Department of Agriculture by Governor Mark Parkinson on July 14, 2009 when Adrian Polansky resigned to head the Kansas Farm Service Agency. Joshua Svaty served as the Vice President at The Land Institute , a nonprofit agricultural research entity near Salina. He and his wife own a farm in Ellsworth County, Kansas.
Contents
- Joshua Svaty speaks
- Education
- House of Representatives
- Committee membership
- Major donors
- Secretary of Agriculture
- EPA
- The Land Institute
- Free State Farms
- References
Education
Svaty received his undergraduate degree from Sterling College, a small liberal arts college in Sterling, KS. He later attended Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kansas, partly during his term in the Kansas House of Representatives.
House of Representatives
Svaty was first elected to office at the age of 22. Svaty started his term on January 8, 2003 as a member of the Kansas House of Representatives, he represented the 108th district. This district was made up of Ellsworth County, rural Saline County, parts of south Salina, and Solomon in Dickinson County in Kansas. Svaty, a member of the democratic party was elected in a district that was 2 to 1 Republican/Democrat. He was re-elected to his House three times.
Committee membership
Major donors
The top 5 donors to Svaty's 2008 campaign:
Secretary of Agriculture
Democratic Gov. Mark Parkinson appointed Svaty as the Kansas Secretary of Agriculture in 2009. He served in this role from 2009-2011.
EPA
Svaty served as senior advisor to the regional administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 7 for more than two years, following his time as the Secretary of Agriculture.
The Land Institute
Svaty served as the vice president of The Land Institute, a science-based research organization based in Saline County that is working on developing perennial grain crops, before he returned to farming in Ellsworth County. He left The Land Institute in 2015 to focus fully on Free State Farms.
Free State Farms
Svaty and his wife, Kimberly, own and operate Free State Farms, a crop and livestock operation in Ellsworth County. Free State Farms was formed in 2010 and is a fully diversified operation that includes wheat, sorghum, soybeans, sunflowers, and a cow/calf operation.