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Acting Kansas Secretary of Ag discusses budget concerns
Acting Kansas Secretary of Agriculture Josh Svaty is about to face the biggest challenge of his short tenure--state budget cuts. Svaty visited the offices of High Plains Journal Nov. 17, to discuss issues facing Kansas agriculture and the department in the coming year. He said while he's only been in the position for a little more than four months, he still has a lot of hope that some of his goals for the department can be met. That is, if the department can survive an exceptionally difficult state budget situation. Fiscal concerns "I tell everyone that I inherited a well-run department with great staff who focus on continuity," Svaty said. "But, the state is also in an exceptionally difficult time period. We're looking at Fiscal Year 2011 right now, and there is the potential that we will be pushed to 1997 funding levels." Svaty said dramatic budget decisions made in the coming months will change how business is done in the Kansas Department of Agriculture. He added this December all state departments will be forced to make cuts to programs across the board, due to state budget shortfalls in this fiscal year. The state remittances are $285 million behind so far this year. Svaty's pressing goal, as acting secretary, is to educate the public about all the programs KDA conducts that affect rural and urban citizens. For example, many of KDA's programs focus on environmental conservation and water management, as well as traditionally agricultural and rural issues. However, mandatory cuts to water conservation programs will adversely affect irrigation-rich areas of the state, where people closely rely on water, he said. Svaty encouraged all Kansas voters to talk to their state legislators about programs they find useful--especially those rural and ag-based voters who have supported the state's economy during this recession. The simple fact is, Svaty said, agriculture has been one of the bright spots in the Kansas economy these past few years. "Manufacturing has been hit hard, but we've had ag to help us out," he said. "We need to play to our strengths, and as an ag-rich state, it affects every county in Kansas if agriculture goes through bad times." It's logical, therefore, to support funding to the department of agriculture's programs that benefit agricultural and rural interests. "The cultural identity of Kansas is agriculture," Svaty said. Looking ahead As a young legislator, one of Svaty's goals was to find ways to entice young people to return to rural Kansas, and it's still a goal in his new position as acting secretary. He said there are many factors that contribute to the problem, such as limited financial capabilities to pay for equipment and inputs, increasing competition for land, and more. He's interested in developing a young farmer mentorship program that's similar to one in the state of Iowa. Of course, all of these ideas cost money and it's frustrating to be faced with the current budget situation, Svaty said. Svaty offered another idea for long-term growth in the state--increased investment in local fruit and vegetable production. "People in the state of Kansas spend in the neighborhood of $500 million each year on fruit and vegetables," Svaty said. Much of that money goes to out-of-state producers, and it would be in the state's interest to keep that money here where it can benefit our economy. Increasing the state's fruit and vegetable production wouldn't require a lot of land, especially if some farmers targeted local markets for their crops. "Ag people need to realize that fruit and vegetable production isn't a threat to their acres," he said. "It doesn't require a lot of acres out of conventional production to have an impact on a local economy." Svaty is still awaiting final confirmation from the Kansas Senate, which should be completed by January 2010. Jennifer M. Latzke can be reached by phone at 620-227-1807, or by e-mail at jlatzke@hpj.com.
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