About Kelley Farm, Shelburne, MA

Established in 1880 by Ernie's great grandfather, the Kelley farm has been in the family for over 135 years. Ernie Kelley inherited the farm and Hsiu-li C. Kelley, his wife, shares management duties. They now specialize in Asian vegetables.

Ernie grew up working on the family farm and has many years of agricultural experience. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Plant and Soil Science from UMass, and is a retired Program Manager for the Massachusetts Department of Labor.

Hsiu-li has an Associate Degree in Businesses Management from GCC and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Farm Management from UMass University Without Walls. She has been growing Asian vegetables for 30 years. Hsiu-li also works part time as a real estate agent, where clients who speak Mandarin or Taiwanese seek out her assistance.

Both Ernest and Hsiu-li resided in Asia and have extensive first hand knowledge of and the culture of Asian specialty crops with roots in the Taiwan-China-Japan region.

Kelley Farm is an example of what experience, hard work, and dedication can produce in a short period of time. Since retiring in 2014, both Ernie and Hsiu-li Kelley have made significant inroads towards restoring the old Kelley Farm and creating a new, successful agricultural venture. Working from an extensive background growing and using specialty Asian produce, Ernie and Hsiu-li Kelley now offer fresh, organic, nutritious vegetables to a number of wholesale and retail venues in the area.

Meeting the challenges of renewing the fields, glutted with invasive plant species, was the first order of business. That led to creating a one acre tillable field, receiving USDA organic certification, erecting a greenhouse, attending farmers markets and establishing local wholesale accounts.