Kenneth (Ken) S. Swarthout was born and raised in Hemet, California. His father was a farmer in the valley, and after serving in the Air Force, he and his brother turned to raising different types of crops. That’s where Swarthout learned the ins and outs of machinery. His father taught him how to run all of the different pieces of farming equipment he had in his fleet.
“With a caring father that did not let me cut corners on the job, I was taught to respect the iron, maintain the iron, so as to receive payment for the completed jobs that were done correctly,” he says.