The Kansas Department of Agriculture today announced the names of producers from the western third of the state who were elected to the state’s five commodity commissions — corn, grain sorghum, soybeans, sunflowers and wheat.
Ballots were cast between January 15 and March 1 and were counted at the offices of the Kansas Department of Agriculture. The newly elected commissioners take office April 1 and will serve a three-year term.
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.
Commissioners-elect for the Kansas Corn Commission
District One – Brian Baalman is from Sheridan County. He is the past president of the Kansas Corn Growers Association and current Kansas Corn Commissioner. He also serves on the U.S. Meat Federation.
District Two - No candidates ran for District 2 Commissioner. The Kansas Corn Commission will appoint this position.
District Three – Steve Rome is from Stevens County. He has served on the Kansas Corn Growers Association and the Kansas State University Agronomy Advisory Board. Rome earned a bachelor’s degree from Fort Hays State University.
Commissioners-elect for the Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission
No candidates ran for commissioner in Districts One, Two, or Three. The Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission will appoint these positions.
Commissioners-elect for the Kansas Soybean Commission
District One, Two, and Three – Kurt Maurath is from Logan County. He has served on the Soybean Commission for the past eight years, representing the western third of the state. Maurath graduated from Kansas State University with a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Mechanization.
Commissioner-elect for the Kansas Sunflower Commission
No candidates ran for commissioner in Districts One, Two, or Three. The Kansas Sunflower Commission will appoint these positions.
Commissioners-elect for the Kansas Wheat Commission
District One – Brian Linin is from Sherman County. He currently serves on the Kansas Wheat Commission and is the CFO for Frontier Ag, Inc. Linin earned a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Kansas State University and is currently working on his MBA from Oklahoma State University.
District Two – Ronald Suppes is from Lane County. He currently serves on the Kansas Wheat Commission and has been a participant of the Kansas Agriculture Rural Leadership (KARL) program. Suppes earned a bachelor’s degree from Fort Hays State University.
Distric Three – Jason Ochs is from Hamilton County. He currently serves on the Kansas Wheat Commission, as board president for the Hamilton County Historical Society and as director for the Southwest Kansas Federal Land Bank.
2013 election will covereastern third of state
Corn, grain sorghm, soybean, sunflower and wheat growers in the eastern third of the state can expect to receive information by mail this fall outlining the 2013 election procedure.
Producers in Districts Seven, Eight, and Nine will be affected by the 2013 elections. District Seven includes Atchison, Brown, Doniphan, Jackson, Jefferson, Leavenworth, Marshall, Nemaha, Pottawatomie, Riley and Wyandotte counties. District Eight includes Anderson, Chase, Coffey, Douglas, Franklin, Geary, Johnson, Linn, Lyon, Miami, Morris, Osage, Shawnee and Wabaunsee counties. District Nine includes Allen, Bourbon, Butler, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Cowley, Crawford, Elk, Greenwood, Labette, Montgomery, Neosho, Wilson and Woodson counties.
Grain growers who plan to campaign for a seat on one of the commissions must collect 20 signatures from eligible voters on an official petition form to be included on the 2013 ballot. Official petition forms will be available through the Kansas Department of Agriculture and 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 30th, 2012
MOST VIEWED STORIES
Cold case investigation leads to Holton warrant
Horton City Clerk's resignation accepted Monday
Effingham owner regains truck following theft, arrest
Former Kickapoo Tribal chairman arrested
Winchester native named as Amberwell CEO
Holton property search concludes with arrest
Mayetta pair arrested on meth, child endangerment charges
Rural Horton man charged in alleged beating
Juveniles face charges following Atchison break-in
Atchison Co's Oswald named honorary bailiff for KS Court
McLouth man injured in Monday wreck
No injuries in early Sunday morning house fire in Falls City
KS prepares for severe weekend weather
Senator Slama on tax relief efforts
Commission approves agreement for budget help
Former AG Schmidt running for KS' 2nd Congressional District
Pawnee City School Board approves personnel changes
Council hears report from golf course
Severe storms move through NE KS
Richardson County accepted into managed call handling program
LATEST STORIES
Severe storms move through NE KS
NVCH receives $415,000 grant for expansion project
KS prepares for severe weekend weather
Richardson County Board approves pay raise for dispatchers
NPPD urges farmers to be safe around power lines
Arbor Day proclaimed in Atchison
Former AG Schmidt running for KS' 2nd Congressional District
Doniphan Co Commission approves overlay projects