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Kenny Tanaka
Kenny Tanaka
00:41

Kenny Tanaka

Tanaka Farms

Irvine, CA USA

"Farming’s in my blood."

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Kenny's work combines: Environment & Nature, Business, and Building Things

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Day In The Life

Farmer & General Manager

I manage my family’s farm and create hands-on experiences that connect people with farming and their food.

02:25

Day In The Life Of A Farm Manager

My Day to Day

My time is split between working outside on the farm and handling the business side indoors. I plan what crops we’ll grow, how much, and when to plant them, organize tours and events, and work with my team on ways to improve the farm experience. I also look for new schools and families to bring out to the farm. No two days are exactly the same, but a big part of my work is helping people connect with where their food comes from.

Skills & Education

Here's the path I took:

  • High School

  • Bachelor's Degree

    Business Finance

    California State University, Long Beach

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Life & Career Milestones

My path in life has been direct

  • 1.

    I grew up working on my family’s farm, doing everything from picking fruits and vegetables to working on equipment and giving tours.

  • 2.

    I studied business finance at California State University, Long Beach—I was unsure what I wanted to do but I knew I might someday have a role on the farm.

  • 3.

    While I was in college, our pumpkin patch began growing, and I came home during summers to help as more schools and families visited the farm.

  • 4.

    After graduating, I saw an opportunity to help the family business grow and joined the farm full-time around 2005.

  • 5.

    I helped expand our agritourism, adding strawberry tours and other experiences that brought families to the farm year-round—we now welcome more than 120,000 kids and adults to the farm each year.

  • 6.

    I’m now starting to explore how AI can help us keep our family farm evolving for the next generation.

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