BKW Farms

It was the early 1900’s when the first generation of Wong family farmers came to Tucson from China. Wong Yan first started working on the Southern Pacific Railroad but soon opened a grocery store on Stone Avenue and 5th Street. In the 1930’s the eldest son, Bing Kun Wong, had taken over the grocery business soon discovered the opportunity to expand his parent’s business to Benson, the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation and Marana. During his travels to these wider areas, Bing met many farmers and became interested in agriculture. By 1938 using profits saved from the grocery store, Bing purchased land from the Aguirre family, a Mexican pioneer ranching family in Marana.

Bing’s greatest agricultural interest was in Pima cotton. Using the land purchased from the Aguirre family, the Wong family put an immense amount of labor into making the land suitable for cotton growth. Many of the grocery store customers actually worked the fields for preparation, planting, irrigating and harvesting.

The first crop was harvested in 1939 when cotton prices were extremely low, but after the declaration of cotton as a war commodity for WWII everything changed for the Wongs. Marana became a thriving agricultural community—schools were built and the farmers expanded their crop variety.

Now, BKW Farms is run by 3rd and 4th generation Wong family members. The farm has expanded into the organic sector of agriculture and has come to include multiple heritage grains such as: White Sonora Wheat, Khorasan Wheat, and Spelt. BKW also grows Hard Red Wheat and Durum Wheat. These grains are USDA Certified Organic and we hope to continue expanding the local grain community.

BKW Farms was built and continues to succeed through the hard work of family and the community in the wider Tucson area. We are proud to continue working with community members and businesses such as the San Xavier O’odham Community Cooperative Farm, Central Arizona Project, Barrio Bread, Dragoon Brewery and more. For more information about people, businesses, and services associated with the BKW agricultural community please contact us.