Josh Svaty owns and operates Free State Farms, a diversified cow/calf and grain operation in Ellsworth County, Kansas.  Josh was born and raised on a farm in Ellsworth County and returned home to run for the Kansas House of Representatives when he was 22 years old.  He served three and a half terms before becoming Secretary of Agriculture of Kansas during the Parkinson Administration.  Following his time as Agriculture Secretary he served as a Senior Adviser in the Environmental Protection Agency, and then served as Vice President at The Land Institute in Salina.  Josh and his wife Kimberly have 4 children, Jackson, Mariner, Evelyn, and Calla.  Josh will share with the group his use of the perennial grain Kernza.