The Krause Family Tradition

Swans Trail Farms has been owned and operated by the Krause family since 1984. Ben and Carol originally purchased the Staswick Dairy Farm from Sid Staswick with the intent to continue dairy farming indefinitely. They renamed it Swans Trail Farms after the area the farm is situated in.

In 1995, the Krauses added a pumpkin patch to “The Farm” and invited families to come out for pumpkins, corn, a wagon ride, and to play in the hay maze.

Two years later, in 1997, the Krause family was named Snohomish County Dairy Family of the year. To celebrate, they hosted an open house, inviting the public to visit the farm and enjoy lunch, ice cream, tours, music, and the grand opening of the now-famous Washington State Corn Maze. More than 4,000 people attended the event.

In November of the same year, Ben and Carol made the hard decision to sell their milk cows. The new mission of Swans Trail Farms was to provide visitors with a taste of farm life and an opportunity to know where their food comes from.

Over the years, the Krauses have expanded their operations to include weddings, celebrations, company picnics, and events. They also grow corn, u-pick apples, and strawberries.

The corn stand on the farm is a local favorite, it was originally started as a way for the Krause kids to earn some money. Each of the kids ran the corn business at one time, even delivering corn to several grocery stores in the area. It helped each of them pay for their college educations and learn invaluable skills for running a business, how to work hard, and work together. The corn operation is now run by Sergio.

Although they no longer have dairy cows, Swans Trail Farms keeps lots of other farm animals such as pigs, goats, sheep, chickens, rabbits, a donkey, and occasionally kittens and puppies to add to all the other activities and attractions of Swans Trail Farms.