State Rep. Josh Svaty, D-Ellsworth, at a news conference in the Capitol on Tuesday, July 15, 2009, during which he was named by Gov. Mark Parkinson as acting secretary of agriculture to replace Adrian Polansky, who is taking a position with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In the background is Svaty's wife, Kimberly Gencur-Svaty.

A Democratic legislator from Ellsworth was selected Tuesday as the state’s next agriculture secretary.

State Rep. Josh Svaty will replace Adrian Polansky, who accepted appointment as head of the Farm Service Agency in Kansas for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Gov. Mark Parkinson announced the selection of Svaty at a news conference. He praised Svaty, a fifth-generation Kansas farmer, as one of the brightest people in state government and representative of a “new generation of leaders.”

Parkinson also commended Polansky’s stewardship of the agriculture agency that he had led since 2003.

Svaty, 29, has served as a state representative since 2003. He has been a member of the Energy and Utilities and Agriculture and Natural Resources committees.

Svaty also has been going to law school at Washburn University, but said he would put off law school during the 18 months remaining in Parkinson’s current term. Svaty’s wife, Kimberly Gencur-Svaty, has worked for ITC, an electric transmission line company. The couple have a 4-month-old son.

Svaty said farming is a difficult endeavor and his family, like most Kansas farmers, has had to adjust to market conditions.

“Agriculture is not an easy economy. It fluctuates, is hard to predict, and is highly dependent on the Kansas weather, which is famous for its unpredictability,” he said.

He said he would try to make farming more attractive for young people.

Svaty will assume office Friday. His nomination is subject to authorization by the Senate Confirmation Oversight Committee.

House Democratic Leader Paul Davis of Lawrence was on hand to see the announcement. Davis said he would miss Svaty as a member of the House Democratic caucus but added it was a good opportunity for him.

“He is one of the most knowledgeable and thoughtful people in the Legislature,” Davis said.

Davis said he was confident Democrats could hold on to the seat in the 2010 election, possibly with another Svaty. He said when he visited Ellsworth he noticed there was a full page of Svatys in the telephone book.