Keith, Caren, Luke and Mary Swenson
Keith’s grandfather, Selmer Swenson, started farming in northwestern Minnesota’s Red Lake County in the early 1920s but did not purchase the farm until 1946. In the beginning, the farm consisted of 200 acres and the Swensons raised hay, grain, cows, pigs and chickens. Keith’s father, Ray, eventually purchased the farm and started selling certified seed in 1960, building a seed-cleaning plant in 1986. Keith started renting and farming land when he was a junior in high school and bought his first land with his wife Caren in 1993. Ketih and Caren’s son Luke and his wife, Mary, returned to the farm in 2006, buying their farm in 2018. Keith, Caren, Luke and Mary are all owner-operators of the farm.
Keith served several years on the Red Lake County Co-op board. Both Keith and Luke continue to raise certified seed for Ray to process and sell. Over the years, they have raised sweet clover, oats, barley, wheat, flax, canola, sunflowers, soybeans, Timothy and fescue. The family quit raising livestock in the 1970s and only raised small grains after that. Each of the kids, grandkids, great-grandkids, and now great-great-grandkids have worked on the farm, driving tractor and helping where needed.