The Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) today announced ballots to elect commissioners to the state’s five grain commodity commissions — corn, grain sorghum, soybeans, sunflowers and wheat — have been mailed to registered voters in districts Seven, Eight and Nine in the eastern region of the state.
District Seven includes Atchison, Brown, Doniphan, Jackson, Jefferson, Leavenworth, Marshall, Nemaha, Pottawatomie, Riley and Wyandotte counties. The candidates from District Seven are:
- Corn: Kenneth McCauley
- Grain Sorghum: Nathan Larson
- Soybeans: James Zwonitzer
- Sunflowers: No candidate running, position to be filled by appointment
- Wheat: Jay Armstrong
District Eight includes Anderson, Chase, Coffey, Douglas, Franklin, Geary, Johnson, Linn, Lyon, Miami, Morris, Osage, Shawnee and Wabaunsee counties. The candidates from District Eight are:
- Corn: Patrick D. Ross
- Grain Sorghum: No candidate running, position to be filled by appointment
- Soybeans: No candidate running, position to be filled by appointment
- Sunflowers: No candidate running, position to be filled by appointment
- Wheat: Jay Armstrong
District Nine includes Allen, Bourbon, Butler, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Cowley, Crawford, Elk, Greenwood, Labette, Montgomery, Neosho, Wilson and Woodson counties. The candidates from District Nine are:
- Corn: Randall L. Small
- Grain Sorghum: Gary Kilgore
- Soybeans: Mike Bellar
- Sunflowers: No candidate running, position to be filled by appointment
- Wheat: Jay Armstrong
Eligible voters who registered before December 31, 2015, or who voted in the 2015 commission election will receive a ballot. Eligible voters are Kansas residents who reached age 18 before the election; have grown corn, grain sorghum, soybeans, sunflowers or wheat during the last three years; and have properly registered to vote. The Kansas Wheat Commission elects one commissioner from District 7, 8 and 9 combined.
Ballots must be cast or postmarked by March 1. The names of candidates-elect will be announced in mid-March and the elected commissioners will take office April 1. Commissioners serve three-year terms.
More information is available from the following organizations:
KDA is committed to providing an environment that enhances and encourages economic growth of the agriculture industry and the Kansas economy.