Sunwall Farm Recognized By MT Historical Society

Located five miles northwest of Froid sits the Sunwall Farm. This farm has been in operation for well over 100 years. “My grandpa, Anders Sunwall, homesteaded here in 1906, but he finally got the title to the land in 1913,” said Greg Sunwall, the current owner of Sunwall Farm. 

Last fall, the Montana Historical Society recognized the farm, along with eight other family farms that have been in operation for over 100 years. In the future, the Historical Society will be publishing a book about each of the Montana farms. 

Greg Sunwall grew up on the land his grandfather homesteaded on. He said, “I grew up working out in the fields. I started helping my dad when I was really young - I was driving the tractor when I was 10 years old.”

Sunwall explained that there are several memories associated with the family farm. One prominent memory is during harvest time - Sunwall and his family would be working in the fields and his mother would come out and bring them food and they would have picnics in the field. He added, “It was kind of a big thing.”

 When asked why the farm has been in operation for so long, he responded, “My grandpa and my dad, did a good job managing it and then I took over it in the 1980s with the drought and poor prices - I started working at the bank so then I just did farming as a hobby and kept working. So, it did not get any bigger when I took over.”

Sunwall took over the farm by chance. He explained that “My brother was helping my dad farm but then he left and then there was a job opening at the bank in Froid, so I came back and started working there and it ended up being a full-time job at the bank and part-time farming- so I kind of did farming as a hobby.”

Sunwall enjoyed farming, “It is like playing poker.” He said, “You put your money in and hope you win - sometimes you do and sometimes you don’t.” His favorite thing about farming was the opportunity to be outside working the soil, seeding, and watching the crops grow. He said, “It is like a garden.”

Sunwall retired from farming three years ago and now he rents out the land to area farmers. In the future, he hopes to pass the farm down to his son. “It would be nice to keep it in the family.”

 

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