10-4 Magazine June 2022

10-4 Magazine / June 2022 71 from Germany to the United States, and then his great-grandfather homesteaded the original farm in 1910. During the 19th and early 20th century, the U.S. government allowed families to homestead up to 360 acres of land. Mason’s great-grandfather took advantage of this program and started what is now the Schwake Centennial Farm. Growing up, he and his father Dennis raised cattle and grew grain. But, in the early 2000s, they decided to end the livestock operation and focus on the grain farming. After 100 years operating as a working farm, it was designated as a Centennial Farm in 2010 at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines. So, you may ask the question, what’s this got to do with trucking and Mason? I’m glad you asked! For old folks like me who’ve been around for a long time, the 1970s and 1980s were not a very profitable time for farming. Farming can be very cyclical, heavily influenced by weather conditions and market prices. During these down times and being a smart businessman, Mason’s father Dennis made the decision to diversify and got into trucking, hauling livestock and grain, to supplement his farm income. To diversify further, he became a Dekalb-Asgrow seed dealer, as well. He sold seed corn and soybeans to farmers in the surrounding area. He eventually retired from this successful seed business in 2005 to focus solely on farming and trucking. Dennis started out in the trucking business driving a Freightliner. Mason recalled sitting in his father’s lap at five years old and hanging on to the large steering wheel of that old Freightliner. He took many trips with his dad, where he developed a love for both trucks and trucking. That was when he decided, along with farming, trucking would play an important role in his future life. But before Mason would begin trucking and owning his own truck, he had to first complete his education and help out a lot on the family farm. Graduating from high school in 2015, Mason was a three-sport athlete in football, basketball, and track and field during his high school years. Since he had an interest in agriculture and business, he continued his formal education at Hawkeye Community College, located in Waterloo, right after high school, graduating in 2017 with an Ag-Business Associates Degree. As a hobby, Mason was also a dirt track racer for 10 years, starting at age 12. He primarily raced go-carts, micro-mods, and later in the modified class on dirt tracks around the Midwest. He was successful with some first places and many top five finishes. While Mason was going to college, he often day-dreamed about being in his own truck and trucking. Like some of us, including me, sitting in a college class was boring – it does not compare to driving race cars, farm equipment, and trucks! It was during these two years at college that Mason realized what his calling was and what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. After graduating from college, Mason began his trucking career at the age of 20, driving his dad’s truck and trailer. He primarily hauled grain within a 100-mile radius of Tripoli. This was the beginning of a long-term and successful working relationship with Figanbaum Trucking, a local company, also based out of Tripoli, IA. At the age of 21, two major events occurred. First, Mason was now able to