Rebecca is studying at Fort Lewis College in Durango Colorado and is on their lacrosse team, an Resident Assistant in the dormitories plus is a Teacher’s Assistant for one of her professors. She has also helped with direct sale side of the operation as well as the mounting paperwork for his farm to be Global GAP & Organic Certified and other regulations. Catherine lives on the farm with Korbin and works at Diamond Fruit Growers Coop and in charge of the Food Safety in packing facility. Cameron lives and works as a firefighter in Whidbey Island WA but uses his mechanical and welding skills during his monthly trips back to Parkdale to maintain and fabricate farm equipment for Randy. She was born and raised in Tehran but as Randy has said to friends and family many times “It was fate that brought is big city girl and small-town farm boy together!” Randy has three kids and one grandson: Cameron, Catherine, Rebecca and Korbin. Randy’s partner for life, Badri Azar, has been another blessing in his life with her beauty, compassion, and love of family. His four sisters, Connie, Nancy, Margie and Becky provide extra reinforcement during the fruit stand season of July through October. His mother, Mich (97) continues to provide constructive criticism and is the nucleus of the family. Their strong work ethic has provided a solid foundation that has allowed the farm to grow and diversify into Farmers Markets, stores, restaurants and CSA’s (Community Supported Agriculture). Randy credits his success to his valued employees, many of whom have been with the family for over 30 years. Over time, customers requested different varieties that could not be found in stores or farmers markets, which has led to his offering now of over 100 varieties of apples. After watching the joy that picking apples brought to families, Randy removed three acres of 80-year-old pear trees and planted 28 varieties of apples. He began to receive requests from parents who asked if their kids could pick apples that hung off a beautiful Golden Delicious tree by the barn. A handful of customers a day was considered a good day. Out of desperation, he set out a sign reading “Apples 5¢ a pound” for his Red Delicious apples while he worked on broken tractors in the old leaky barn that fall. Apples throughout the county were left to rot on the trees rather than incurring the expense of picking, sorting, and packing this perceived tainted fruit. Although the Kiyokawa never sprayed Alar as did most apple producers, the media scare influenced even the USDA to cancel all apple purchases. The Alar scare of 1989 forced many family farms out of business if they relied on apples as their sole source of income. In 1987, Mam’s illness brought Randy back to Parkdale sooner than planned, but he does not regret the commitment he made to his parents when he left his job in Portland. He earned valuable experiences and friendships while wrestling for the Beavers as well as being a Resident Assistant in the dormitories and a Resident Advisor in the housing co-op. In 1984, Randy graduated from Oregon State University with a degree from what is now the College of Agricultural Sciences. There they raised four daughters and a son, Randy. Military Intelligence Service, Mam returned to Hood River Valley in 1951 with Mich and purchased a 25-acre orchard in Parkdale that has been the nucleus of the current 207-acre farm. Randy’s father, Mamoru, and mother, Michiko, met in an internment camp where their families were placed during World War II. Randy is a third generation orchardist from Parkdale, Oregon, whose grandfather emigrated from Japan in 1905, and through hard work started farming in Hood River in 1911.
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