Parkdale, OR — As a kid, Randy Kiyokawa dreamed of becoming either a police officer or a DJ, professions he knows couldn’t have been more different from one another.

But as Kiyokawa grew to learn, familial expectations have a way of steering one’s path in life. As his parents’ youngest child and only son, he knew deep down that his destiny likely would entail succeeding them in overseeing the family fruit farm, one of the few remaining Hood River Valley farms owned by Japanese American families who returned here following their internment during World War II.

Planted with 157 acres of fruit trees, including more varieties of apples than probably any other farm in the valley, Kiyokawa Family Orchards is a testament to perseverance and adaptation.

Thankfully, its legacy will continue now that Kiyokawa, on the brink of turning 64, is poised to turn the farm’s operations over to the fourth generation — his daughter.

Last month, I had a chance to visit the farm. Though it hadn’t yet opened to the public for the season, work was still happening, most notably on the small homes on site. He provides free housing to his 40 employees

Kiyokawa walked me around the property, where blossoms were just starting to appear on Bosc, Comice, and Anjou pear trees. He also grows peaches, plums, and baby kiwi. In a nod to his wife’s heritage, he also planted Persian plums and sour cherries.

It’s apples, though, for which his farm is best known — 125 varieties in all.

It all began when his grandfather on his father’s side came to California to work on the railroads in California then headed to Oregon where he started clearing land for logging companies. In 1911, he was given some land in nearby Dee to farm. But when the war started, his grandfather and his family were interned.

It was there that Kiyokawa’s father would meet his mother. “He was a garbage man in camp,” Kiyokawa explained. “So, as he went on his rounds, he could check out who the cutest girls were.”

After the war, a neighbor who had looked after the Dee property, returned it to the family. It is now owned by Kiyokawa’s cousin. Meanwhile, Kiyokawa’s parents settled in Parkdale, using his father’s GI loan to start this farm.

After graduating from Oregon State with a degree in agricultural sciences, Kiyokawa returned home to help with the farm when his father fell ill.

Times were challenging. In 1989, a study on the Alar pesticide used on some apples — later determined to be flawed — prompted the public to boycott the fruit. Even though Kiyokawa’s orchards didn’t use the chemical, the farm was still affected as consumers lost their appetite for apples.

“I was desperate to sell our apples,” Kiyokawa recalled. “I put up a sign at the farm for ‘Red Delicious, 5 cents per pound. If someone actually showed up, I’d give it to them for 3 cents a pound. It wasn’t smart business, but I was just grateful they were there.”

As fate would have it, that’s what led to the establishment of the farm stand at a time when the notion of selling directly to consumers was frowned upon in the industry. Its success then led to another innovation — Kiyokawa Family Orchards becoming the first u-pick for apples in the valley.

As more people stopped by the farm, they began asking for specific varieties of apples. If more than five people asked about one specific type, Kiyokawa would try growing it.

That’s how he began growing Mountain Rose and Pink Pearl apples with their distinctive pink flesh. Chefs especially love these particular apples because they don’t oxidize and stay pretty on the plate. Cider makers are enamored of them, too, because they produce a deep colored fermented beverage.

For fun, Kiyokawa even grows a monster of an apple known as the Hanners Jumbo, that tops the scales at 2 1/2 pounds each.

As him what his favorite apple is, he’ll hesitate before finally naming the Crimson Crisp for its deep red skin, complex flavor, and long storage capability.

Last year, the farm brought back its events that it had stopped during Covid, including hay rides and apple tasting. Its fruit can be found for sale at 14 farmers markets in the state, and in dishes and baked goods at some of Oregon’s top restaurants and bakeries. The apples also are served to public school kids regularly.

Attracting visitors from as far away as Hawaii and even Japan, the farm and farm stand will be in full swing from July through November.

Farming might not have been Kiyokawa’s first choice. But it has proven more rewarding than he ever imagined.

He beams when he recounts a favorite moment: “I remember putting two of the Mount Rose apples in a box of 100 for a school,” he said. “A kid bit into one and all the other kids around him were looking at it, marveling that it was pink inside. His begged his mom to bring him to the farm stand for more because he said it was the best apple he ever had.”

More: Oregon Travels, Part II: The Painted Lady Restaurant

And: Oregon Travels, Part III: Jory Restaurant