March 21, 2008
Contact:
Lisa Taylor
Public Information Officer
Kansas Department of Agriculture
(785) 296-2653
ltaylor@kda.state.ks.us
Kansas grain commodity growers elect commissioners
TOPEKA - The Kansas Department of Agriculture today announced the names of producers from the central third of the state who were elected to the state's five grain commodity commissions - corn, grain sorghum, soybeans, sunflowers and wheat.
This was the third election cycle for districts four, five and six under the new law that privatized the commissions in July 2000.
District four includes Clay, Cloud, Jewell, Mitchell, Osborne, Ottawa, Phillips, Republic, Rooks, Smith and Washington counties.
District five includes Barton, Dickinson, Ellis, Ellsworth, Lincoln, McPherson, Marion, Rice, Rush, Russell and Saline counties.
District six includes Barber, Comanche, Edwards, Harper, Harvey, Kingman, Kiowa, Pawnee, Pratt, Reno, Sedgwick, Stafford and Sumner counties.
Ballots were cast between January 15 and March 1 and were counted at the Kansas Department of Agriculture on March 7. The newly elected commissioners will take office April 1 and will serve three-year terms.
Commissioners-Elect for the Kansas Corn Commission
District four - Mike Brzon, who grows corn, soybeans, sorghum and wheat in Republic County. He currently serves on the Kansas Corn Commission and is a director on the U.S. Grains Council and Farmway Cooperative Inc. Brzon also is active in water issues in the Republican River basin in Kansas and Nebraska.
District five - Terry Vinduska, who grows corn, grain sorghum, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa on a family farm in Marion County. He currently serves on the Kansas Corn Commission and is a member of the U.S. Grains Council, Kansas Farmers Union and Kansas Farm Bureau. Vinduska has a bachelor's degree in agricultural technology from Kansas State University.
District six - Kent Moore, who grows corn, wheat and soybeans in Pratt County. He is a member of the Kansas Corn Growers Association and the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers, and he is on the board of directors for the Pratt County 4-H Foundation. Moore has a bachelor's degree in agricultural economics from Kansas State University.
Commissioners-Elect for the Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission
District four - William Greving, who grows corn, sorghum, wheat and hay in Phillips County. He currently is secretary-treasurer of the Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission, serves on the board of the National Sorghum Producers and is a member of the Kansas Livestock Association, the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers and the Kansas Corn Growers Association. Greving has a bachelor's degree in agriculture from Fort Hays State University.
District five - Clayton Short, who grows corn, sorghum, wheat and soybeans in Saline County. He currently serves on the Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission and is a member of the Kansas Grain Sorghum Association and Kansas Association of Wheat Growers. Short has a bachelors degree in agriculture from Kansas State University.
District six - Dennis Siefkes, who grows corn, grain sorghum, soybeans and wheat in Stafford County. He is a member of the Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association, the Stafford County Farm Bureau and the Great Bend Cooperative Association, and a past member of the Kansas Corn Commission. Siefkes has a bachelor's degree in agriculture mechanization from Kansas State University.
Commissioners-Elect for the Kansas Soybean Commission
District four - Steve Clanton, who grows corn, grain sorghum, soybeans, sunflowers and wheat in Ottawa County. He currently serves on the Kansas Soybean Commission. He has been involved in many organizations, including the local extension and soil conservation board and the Kansas Soybean Association. He is a past president of the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers. Clanton has a bachelor's degree in engineering from Kansas State University.
District five - Harold Kraus, who grows corn, grain sorghum, soybeans and wheat in Ellis County. He has served on the Kansas Soybean Commission since 1999, is a member of Kansas Farm Bureau and is a voting member of the National Biodiesel Board. Kraus has a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Kansas.
District six - Jerry Wyse, who grows wheat, corn, grain sorghum and soybeans in Reno County. He currently serves on the Kansas Soybean Commission and is past president and CEO of Kauffman Seeds Inc. Wyse has an associate's degree in liberal arts from Hesston College.
Commissioner-Elect for the Kansas Sunflower Commission
There were no candidates for commissioner in districts four, five and six. Commissioners will be appointed by the Kansas Sunflower Commission.
Commissioners-Elect for the Kansas Wheat Commission
District four - Steve Clanton, who also was elected to the Kansas Soybean Commission. He grows corn, grain sorghum, soybeans, sunflowers and wheat in Ottawa County. He currently serves on the Kansas Soybean Commission. He has been involved in many organizations, including the local extension and soil conservation board and the Kansas Soybean Association. He is a past president of the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers. Clanton has a bachelor's degree in engineering from Kansas State University.
District five - Dean Stoskopf, who grows wheat, grain sorghum and alfalfa, and has a cow-calf herd in Barton County. He currently is finishing his second term on the Kansas Wheat Commission, he is a past president of the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers and is a current member of Kansas Farm Bureau. Stoskopf has a degree in agriculture from Kansas State University.
Distinct six - Scott Van Allen, who grows sorghum and wheat in Sumner County. He is a past president and current member of the Sumner County Farm Bureau. Van Allen has also been on Kansas Farm Bureau's wheat advisory board for the past two years. Van Allen is a graduate of Clearwater High School.
2009 Election Will Cover Western Third of State
Corn, grain sorghum, soybean, sunflower and wheat growers in the western third of the state can expect to receive information by mail this fall outlining the 2009 election procedure.
Affected by the 2009 election will be districts one, two and three.
District one includes Cheyenne, Decatur, Graham, Norton, Rawlins Sheridan, Sherman and Thomas counties.
District two includes Gove, Greeley, Lane, Logan, Ness, Scott, Trego, Wallace and Wichita counties.
District three includes Clark, Finney, Ford, Grant, Gray, Hamilton, Haskell, Hodgeman,
Kearny, Meade, Morton, Seward, Stanton and Stevens counties.
Grain growers who plan to campaign for a seat on one of the commissions must collect on an official petition form 20 signatures from eligible voters to be included on the 2009 ballot. Official petition forms will be available through the Kansas Department of Agriculture or one of the grain commodity commissions.
No more than five signatures from any one county will be used to qualify a candidate. Eligible voters are Kansas residents who will reach age 18 before the election and have been growing corn, grain sorghum, soybeans, sunflowers or wheat during the last three years. The filing deadline for candidates is November 30, 2008.
For more information, visit ../../kansas_agriculture/content/152.