The Farley family has been running the u-pick grape operation for 28 years. Patrick and LaVerne Farley started the u-pick business in 1983, operating on their 20-acre farm in Fowler, CA. In 2005, their son and daughter-in-law, Jonathan and Keren Farley, moved the u-pick operation to their farm a few miles south in Kingsburg. When Patrick and LaVerne started the U-Pick operations in 1983, the bottom had dropped out of the raisin market. They were only going to be paid for 40% of the crop. Knowing that this would mean quite a reduced payment, LaVerne called a KMJ program "Radio/Tradio" and offered 8 ¢ a pound u-pick grapes to the audience. By the time Mr. Farley came in from his irrigation work, several people had responded to the radio advertisement and were on their way out. Farley Family U-Pick was begun...cont on page 2

Jonathan Farley grew up on the 20-acre vineyard in Fowler. Patrick Farley, his father, was a teacher and farmer, and LaVerne, his mother, raised their 10 children and helped run the farm. Jonathan attended California State University, Fresno, where he was on the wrestling team and earned a B.A. in Economics. After graduating, Jonathan pursued a career in education and currently works as Principal at a small school in Fowler where he greatly enjoys his position of working with at-risk youth. Keren Farley grew up in the mountain community of Coarsegold, CA. She has always been an outstanding athlete; she attended California State University, Fresno, where she competed in cross country and track and earned a B.S. in Criminology...cont on page 3

After graduation, Keren worked as a police dispatcher for the Selma Police Department, and later worked as a substitute teacher as she began to work on her teaching credential. Keren had one more career change when she became a mom and full-time farmer. Keren currently handles the deliveries, schedules, paperwork, and u-pick operations for J&K Farley Farms. Jonathan and Keren met while athletes at Fresno State. When Jonathan got his first teaching job, he bought a 20-acre vineyard in Kingsburg, CA. J&K Farley Farms began when Jonathan and Keren Farley were married June 21, 2003. Keren joined Jonathan in the 90-year-old, one-bedroom farm house and together they worked to improve the 80-year-old Thompson Seedless vineyard. They stretched new wire and repaired irrigation lines...cont on page 4

They put in new endposts and replaced missing vines. Since then, the number of employees on J&K Farley Farms has boomed with the birth of Jonathan Patrick in 2004, Samuel Patrick in 2006, and Rachael Michelle in 2007. Jonathan's mother stopped operating the u-pick business of her farm in Fowler in 2005. Jonathan and Keren saw this as the ideal time to begin u-pick operations at their vineyard in Kingsburg, where they have worked to change to u-pick business to fit their ranch. The variety of fruit available for u-pick has been a constant goal. They are very excited to offer two varieties of grapes, peaches, plums, apricots, and tomatoes. As the Farley Family grows and ages, they hope to see you out on the farm along the way.