By NATE KING and OLIVIA BERGMEIER
Salina Post
David Svaty spreads a positive message by actively participating in the betterment of his local community. This resilient hero works diligently behind the scenes, shoulder to shoulder with family members, neighbors and friends.
People benefit greatly from the countless hours that community champions spend on tasks like picking up the garbage, farming the land, volunteering, nursing the sick, and maintaining our electrical grid.
As we embark on this mission to thank the seldomly thanked, Salina Post invites you to open your hearts to the incredible stories of these unsung heroes — these Community Champions.
David Svaty
David Svaty, a farmer from Ellsworth County, produces vegetables, fruits and animal products for the family-owned and operated Svaty’s Produce.
"This whole family is melon lovers," Svaty said. "So we grow lots of watermelons."
Svaty said customers would line up near the Svaty Produce stand, waiting for his farm's famous Japanese cucumbers in the summertime while filling baskets with the plentiful watermelon from the farm.
The Svaty's Produce stand regularly attends the Harvest Farmers Market held every Tuesday on Cloud Street in Salina.
“We enjoy growing things whether it be plants or animals direct selling allows us to set the price,” Svaty said. “By selling direct to the consumer they have a face to put with the produce that is on their table. If they want to know how our product has been grown, we can tell them freshness is important.”
The Svaty Family
Svaty's family immigrated to Ellsworth County, Kansas, in 1876 from the region of Czechoslovakia, now the modern-day countries of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Svaty’s grandfather arrived on the Kansas prairie at 16 years old.
Three generations of Svatys have farmed in Ellsworth County since then, continuing to produce locally grown food for their community.
“We call it a sickness, like right now I'm looking at seed catalogs for next year already and trying to figure out what we're going to grow, and it's not really a sickness, but we tease ourselves,” Svaty said. ”The variables are extreme, but the rewards can be pretty good.”
Significant age gaps caused the long generations for the family, with Svaty's grandfather at 46 when Svaty's father was born and Svaty's father at age 53 when he was born.
This age discrepancy crept in between Svaty's brother, Ron, and him, with 17 years between the siblings, but provided an opportunity for mentorship.
"My brother Ron came back from Alaska, and he was an attorney at the time, and he wanted to grow his own food, so he had a big garden at the farm," Svaty said. "I would spend a lot of time with him, helping him and then just learning that I like to grow things."
Svaty said he fell in love with farming from then on, aiming to continue farming the family's land and continuing the stewardship tradition.
"I've always enjoyed growing things," Svaty said. "Whether it be plants or animals, I like to see what would happen."
Today, Svaty grows staples like onions, potatoes and garlic, but he also grows seasonal fruits and vegetables, including watermelon and tomatoes. Much of the work Svaty attributes to his family, with his brother Ron Svaty often helping him with everything from caring for cattle to harvest season.
Another family member, Svaty’s nephew Seth Svaty, worked hard for his operation while supporting Svaty’s farm, often helping with harvest, wrangling animals or general maintenance.
“My nephew was very, very important to me, very close,” Svaty said. “He worked hard out here, and all three of his kids, my grand niece and nephews, came out here, and they helped greatly.”
Svaty said even though Seth Svaty worked hard for his operation, he would help whenever possible and loved to help his uncle. Seth Svaty recently lost his battle with colon cancer.
READ: Ellsworth Independent Reporter obituary, Seth Ray Svaty (1977-2023)
“To watch cancer take somebody at 46 is pretty tough,” Svaty said.
Through the hardships, Svaty continues producing with support from his faith in God and family ties.
“You got to get up and put one foot in front of the other,” Svaty said. “Nobody is telling you what you need to do. You're going to have to do it.”
Prairie partners
Prairieland Market, a Salina-based non-profit with the mission of encouraging the public to consider healthy, locally grown and organic foods is a natural partner for Svaty Produce. Since at least 2017, Svaty has provided produce to the market, ensuring it always has seasonal produce on its shelves.
Prairieland Market store manager Kirsty Hartley works closely with Svaty. Together they predict what produce the store needs and when it needs it.
“There's always been a great working relationship with him back and forth every year, he makes sure that he grows enough not just for us, but for the farmers market too,” Hartley said.
Svaty stepped up in a big way this year after one of Prairieland Market’s biggest producers changed ownership, resulting in a less than average quantity of produce.
Hartley said as ownership changed hands, they relied on Svaty’s Produce to stock a majority of the shelves.
“ A big produce provider in Saline County had a new beautiful, lovely young family takeover, but it was kind of a lot for them this year,” Hartley said. “We were able to really rely on Dave to get a majority of our produce for the market.”
Svaty said he was glad to be able to help the market out.
"It was an exceptional year — they leaned on us, and we were able to supply it — we felt good about it," Svaty said. "So we're excited that they have a new location."
Svaty is also a major contributor to the market’s community sourced agriculture box subscription service.
“If you get a CSA box between March and the end of October, there's a 100% chance that more than one item is probably coming from Dave,” Hartley said.
While sharing how Svaty has helped Prairieland Market fulfill its mission, Hartley shared a memory from this year involving Svaty.
“Dave is your traditional farmer. He's quiet. He has a one track mind,” Hartley said. “This year, he had a wheelbarrow that he was bringing in produce with and it has a squeaky wheel that was so loud that every single week we will hear him. You can hear the squeak, squeak, squeak and it was funny and everyone's like, ‘Who is that?' 'Oh, it's Dave. Don't mind him.' He's just brilliant.”
Last month, the local grocery store announced its new location in downtown Salina, expanding its commercial space to include a commercial kitchen and storage areas.
READ MORE: Prairieland Market in Salina announces new branding, new store to open in spring 2024
After Svaty’s grandfather planted his first season of crops in Ellsworth County 147 years ago, the Svaty’s continue his stewardship legacy, producing fresh food for Kansans.
“I will tell people we have five grown children and several other families working for us,” Svaty said. “Their safety in producing the crop and eating the final product are the same for them as they are for our customers.”
If one of these Community Champions in your life deserves a shout-out, Salina Post encourages you to nominate an everyday champion who has positively impacted you, your family, or your local community.
Nominations can be made by messaging Salina Post's Facebook page, or by emailing [email protected]
Please include the name of the person you wish to nominate and a brief statement explaining why they are a champion in their community.