socastcmsRssStart93.3 myFM News/Classic Rock staffsocastcmsRssEnd
For Elyse Szwakob, farming is in her blood. She’s the seventh generation to work the land her family has farmed since 1845.
Together with her parents, Mark and Cindy Bickle and husband Matt Szwakob plus a small team of employees, Szwakob helps run a busy dairy operation that now milks 275 cows and farms 1,500 acres. “We started in a 52-cow tie-stall,” she explains. “Over the years, we’ve expanded our barns, upgraded to a double-12 parlour, and kept growing.”
Szwakob didn’t originally plan on farming. She initially pursued dental assisting, working off the farm for several years before an opportunity brought her back full-time. Her husband followed soon after. “Now, it’s the two of us and my parents – and our three kids, Lane, Drew and Jordyn.” she says.
While succession planning is still in its early stages, Szwakob says it’s important that everyone on the farm finds the role they’re passionate about. As for her kids’ future? “If they want to farm, great. But if they don’t, that’s okay too,” she says. “I want them to know they have the choice.”
She also hopes to pass down key life values: hard work, gratitude, and resilience. “You only get out of life what you put into it,” she says, echoing advice from her mother. “The world is changing, and we have to focus on sustainability, but also be thankful for what we have.”
Szwakob says the family farm continues to grow, not just through acres or cows, but through community, adaptability, and the next generation watching it all unfold.
Hear more on the story in the podcast:
(Written by: Joseph Goden)
