A third-generation farmer, Kirk Gilkey is president of Gilkey Farm, Inc. located in Corcoran, California. Kirk’s grandparents came to Corcoran in 1922 to start custom farming. Today, Gilkey Farms is one of the largest cotton farms in the San Joaquin Valley.
Kirk’s father, Don Gilkey, was a star football player at the University of California, Berkeley. He passed up a promising NFL career to run his family’s farm back in Corcoran. Don was honored as King County’s Agriculturalist of the Year in 2005.
Following in his dad’s footsteps, Kirk serves as President of the
California Cotton Ginners Association, where he served as chairman in 1996. He
is also the manager and partner of Cross Creek Ginning Company, a modern
saw/roller combo gin in Corcoran. He was named California’s “Ginner of the
Year” in 2000.
