Bluegrass Farm in Washington: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Bluegrass Farm is a wheat farm in the Lamont area of eastern Washington, homesteaded in 1886 by William and Hannah Swannack, who came from Australia in 1885. Now farmed by the fifth generation, the Swannack family works about 3,000 acres, mainly of soft white wheat, and is profiled in the Washington Wheat Centennial Farm Project.
| Location | Lamont area, eastern Washington |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1886 homestead |
| Sectors | Soft white wheat; originally cattle |
| Scale | About 3,000 acres, per the Centennial Farm Project profile |
| Why it is elite | More than 135 years in one family and a recognized centennial farm with large dryland scale |
| Ownership | Swannack family, fifth generation farming, sixth hoped for |
| Official website | Washington Wheat Centennial Farm Project profile of Bluegrass Farm |
History of Bluegrass Farm
William and Hannah Swannack emigrated from Australia in 1885 and homesteaded the land the next year. A barn sign reading Kamiac 1907 has hung for more than a century. The family first raised cattle and grew wheat to feed them, then began selling wheat in 1890.
Don and Amy Swannack are the fifth generation on the land, and their son hopes to be the sixth. The farm moved from Belgian draft horses to modern combines, so a few people can now cover thousands of acres.
What Bluegrass Farm Grows and Raises
Bluegrass Farm grows mainly soft white wheat, the class that Pacific Northwest millers and export buyers use for noodles, crackers and pastry flour. Eastern Washington wheat is typically dryland, which relies on winter moisture stored in the soil and on fallow or rotation practices.
Modern equipment allows a small crew to manage about 3,000 acres. The profile does not list specific practices beyond the shift to modern combines, so details such as rotation and tillage are not stated here.
How Bluegrass Farm Makes Money
Wheat sales
Wheat is the farm's main product. Since 1890 the family has sold grain, and soft white wheat is a major export crop from the Pacific Northwest.
Commodity marketing
Eastern Washington wheat typically moves through local elevators and export channels. The profile does not describe this farm's marketing, so readers should consult the Washington Grain Commission.
Diversification history
The farm began with cattle and wheat for feed. That mixed approach was the first step before wheat became the core.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Bluegrass Farm
The first lesson is endurance through technology: replacing horses with combines let a small family cover far more land with fewer people.
The second is to keep a clear core crop that suits local rainfall. The third is that family succession takes planning; five generations reflect repeated handoffs, not luck.
Farm satire loves a dryland wheat farmer because they bet an entire year on the sky, and Bluegrass Farm has been placing that bet since 1886. At farm.FM we file a barn sign that has lasted more than a century under farm humor, because it has outlived most weather forecasts. Our ranch humor writers note the cattle that started it all, and our farm jokes about draft horses retiring to combines are offered with respect.
For context, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site and the home of Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers. Its contributors each keep an archive, and this one is a good sampler of ranch humor and farm jokes.
How to Contact Bluegrass Farm
Website: https://wawheat.squarespace.com/centennial-farm-project-1/bluegrass
No separate farm website, address or phone was found in public sources, so none is listed. Contact the Washington Association of Wheat Growers project or WSU Extension for referrals.
Bluegrass Farm Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Centennial Farm Project profile - Bluegrass Farm history and acreage
- Washington Wheat Centennial Farms - Project covering century-old wheat farms
- WSDA Centennial Farms report - State look at Washington's centennial farms
- WSU Extension agriculture - Land-grant extension help for grain farmers
- WSDA agriculture snapshot - Washington commodity values including wheat
Bluegrass Farm FAQ
Where is Bluegrass Farm?
It is in the Lamont area of eastern Washington.
What does Bluegrass Farm grow?
It grows mainly soft white wheat on about 3,000 acres.
When was Bluegrass Farm founded?
The Swannack family homesteaded in 1886.
How can I contact Bluegrass Farm?
No public contact was found, so use the Centennial Farm Project or WSU Extension.
Bluegrass Farm shows how a family can keep a Washington wheat farm going for five generations. Read the Washington farms guide and the other profiled operations for more.